Alissa
by UniversalIndicator
Summary: All the free peoples of Middle Earth have been summoned to a secret council and the fellowship is formed including a member of a race long thought to have been extinct. Many of them are surprised that the dwarves are not the only race to distrust the elves. OC story but not connected to Sovia. 10th walker.
1. Chapter 1

Alissa , the only child of king Alistair, also known as the BloodRipper, was strolling along the neatly paved paths of the Kingdom of Yor, clutching tightly at her fathers hand whilst her mother peered closely at the high quality silks and furs that were being sold.

It was a crystal clear day, not a cloud marred the landscape she could see in the distance. The smells of the city burst into her little nose causing her to wrinkle it up in discomfort. Her father glanced down at her face before laughing gently.

Alissa just frowned before lightly pushing into his side, and straigthening her spine, head held high.

She was only four years old, yet already had the bearings of royalty. This just made her father chuckle harder before he choked out "Easy kitten, no need to take offense but I must warn you, if your not careful, the wind shall make that face of yours stick"

This made her crack a teeny smile in return before she glanced in her mothers direction. Queen Freya, had just managed to haggle the price of a beautiful piece of amber silk down a considerable amount and was looking extroadinarily pleased with herself.

Draping her new purchase in the basket by her side she made her way back to her family to take Alissa's hand from her father, and gave it a squeeze.

"Darling, I just found the most beautiful fabric to make you a new dress. Would you like that?"

Alissa smiled and nodded energetically for her mother benefit. She didn't care much for clothes or fabric like her mother, but she did care for her feelings so went through the motions. She then stroked the small dolls face that she held in her other hand in order to break eye contact.

Her father, used to this reaction from his daughter, laughed again, causing his wife to glance up at him in confusion. "Not to worry love, private joke"

Freya nodded before bending down to pick up her daughter, her pudgy hands forming a vice around the womans neck. "Soon little cub, I shall not be able to carry you for fear of pain from my back"

The little girl just tucked her head into her mothers neck, breathing n her exotic perfume, the scent sending her into a light doze.

Her mother and father just grinned at each other over the childs shoulder and continued their walk. Happy to just be in each others company away from the palace.

However the peaceful morning that had erupted at first light was not to last. Alissa woke to a hissing , similar to the sound one would emit sucking in a breath.

She opened her eyes when her mother tightened her hold over her, forcing her head closer so as to not see the horror she herself was seeing.

However, her child was strong and nosy and she broke away from her mothers fearful hold to see her father standing stiff and ridged aways from them as he barked commands at troops of soldiers , crunching their way past.

In the distance, fast approaching the vast city was a wall of water. It was still a few miles away, yet the shear size of it was colossal and made it appear that they it was right next to them and it blotted out the sun.

Suddenly the BloodRipper's eyes snapped to his small family in the middle of the street and he ran towards them. "Hurry love, we must reach the shelter"

Alissa made her mother put her down onto the ground ,her mother grabbed her hand desperately and tugged her along behind her, her much shorter legs struggling to keep up.

Suddenly she felt her doll slip through her grip and she dug in her heels in order to pick it up. Her mother was frantically tugging on her arm before she dropped to her knees and shouted over the screaming of their people. "Alissa leave it! There is no time!"

She dragged her child away, the little girls arm still reaching for it.

Alissa desperately wanted her doll back, it had been made by her grandmother and given as a gift for her day of birth when she was three. However she stopped her relentless tugging when she felt her mothers hand being snatched away from her own. Alone amongst the swarm of people, silks whipping, shoes thudding, she panicked and screamed "ADA! MATIEM!"

She was jostled and pushed as other people swarmed, trying to find shelter against the wave fast approaching, some in beast form on four legs and some normal. Something hit her head and she fell to the ground, hooves and booted feet along with the occasional paw thundered down around her. Suddenly she was hauled up by the scruff of her neck into the mouth of a passing Cheeth male. Her father had had to resort to his beast form in order to find her in the crowd.

As soon as she was safe, her father shifted hurriedly and grabbed her up in his arms to run. He bellowed over the din "Wheres your Matiem?" However his daughter had no words for him, her eyes fixed upon the scene of the wave absorbing the outside borders of the city.

Worried by his daughters silence, the king turned to face what she was looking at, gasped before he jumped onto the eave of a nearby shop and bellowing "SOUND THE ALARMS!"

The echoing sound of the bell thudded loudly as the bell-ringers smacked its girth with thick sticks. People ran, seeking shelter, trampling over others already lying too still on the ground, throwing children up to others and securing themselves to whatever they though would hold.

Alissa, who had turned away from the wave to glance around, took this in with one sweep of her eyes. However something shiny caught her attention and she gasped. Along the Cliffside she could see the glinting armor of an army settled on the ridge. Their bearing marked their race "Ada! There are elves on the cliff!"

The BloodRipper turned and bellowed in their direction "HELP US!"

But to his horror, the host just turned away slowly before tramping off. He could expect no help from them. His people were alone in their plight. He turned back to face the wave with a heavy heart and he tucked his daughter in close, who was now positively shaking in her fright and he could feel the wetness that streamed from her eyes onto his bare shoulder.

He began to search the crowd for his wife and had just about given up hope when he spotted her on the crystal summit. Relief filled him and he called out to her. She turned once briefly, smiled gently before laying herself against its side. He watched in horror as his wife's body grew still before being absorbed into its heart.

He jumped down to run to her but was stopped by some passing soldiers "This way, This way your majesty!" He pushed against them, pain filling his heart as he shouted "FREYA!" to the heavens.

The wave was much closer now, its arch hanging directly over the central city, spraying down its salt water, dousing him briefly of his pain and allowing him to push it to the side briefly. He glanced down at his daughter, who was clutching his leg desperately as she stared at their impending doom. He sank to his knees and tucked her into his chest "Alissa, sweet, look away child"

A light suddenly erupted from the crystal summit, a barrier forming from its light. Alistair could only watch in amazement as a ghostly silhoette of a women sped through its beam and threw her arms out to the sky. A barrier grew until it had stretched to encompass the citadel, blocking off the waves passage just in time.

A great rumbling could be heard through the city as the top of the wave crested and slammed into the barrier, causing the city to sink down a few inches into the suddenly soft ground. Alistair watched as buildings began to crumble and crash down, a groaning shriek as they did so.

He turned his gaze to the outskirts of the barrier and felt only sorrow. People who had not been able to make it inside in time were banging on its surface, their faces twisted in fear, their screams loud before they were suddenly cut off as the wave crashed into them, their bodies breaking upon impact.

The wave completely obliterated the sun, shrouding the city in a complete darkness before the entire city popped up to the surface, like a cork in a barrel of water. An island now where there was once a grand city except for a small piece of land that stretched like a road to the new shore.

Alistair looked grimly at what remained of his people and, with the knowledge the barrier would not last long in keeping the wave out he began to give orders to grab whatever they could carry and make for the gap in the sea.

They all moved in a rush, picking up what could be saved from the market stalls rather than venture into the darkness of the buildings. A bottle-neck effect formed and the King bellowed over the top of the din "GUARDS! MAKE THEM GO THREE AT A TIME!" When the congestion lessened and over half his people had made it to shore, he turned his attention to his daughter, who was still sobbing into his neck. Raising her face to his he breathed in her scent and rubbed her nose with his. "Alissa" he said gently "We must leave now"

"What about Matiem? We can't leave her" the little girl said, horrified by the thought.

He sighed "we'll meet her on the other side" this seemed to comfort his daughter who, because of her young age, completely missed the other meaning behind his words. His heart clenched at the look of hope that burst into her eyes.

"Come now sweet" he picked her up and once again ran in an effort to reach safety. Just as he reached the shore, having been the last to make it through, he turned to gaze upon all that was left of their city in sadness, just in time to watch the female form rise up from the waves to rest her feet on top of the sea, her arms still raised, her physical form began to flicker. In her final moments, the figure glanced in his direction and although they were different from the color he was used to, he could still see the love in the depths of her eyes. In his mind he heard two words.

_be safe_

Then he watched as his wife disappeared from this world forever and the barrier disappeared to let in the cold water outside.

The survivors of Yor are said to have stood there for a long time before their leader rallied them to move. With heavy hearts and reluctant steps, they followed their king who ushered them into the forest of Fangorn to seek whatever bounty and safety it could offer them.


	2. Chapter 2

Sleep eluded Alissa as the nightmare reoccurred throughout her mind. Sure it had been a few hundred years since the fall of Yor, but still, the haunting echoes of those screams forever silenced from this world still lingered. The last bit of warmth from her mother's hand had long since faded but the gut wrenching pain of loss never diminished.

Their home was in the depths of Fangorn, well away from the influences of most cultures. No trade with other cities and no communication to any outsider. Alissa wouldn't have been surprised if the tales of their race had become the things of legend. The great animal changers, with powers beyond imagination and strength beyond any human endurance, bought low by a body of water sent by gods to assuage them of their pride.

Alissa yawned and stretched her arms upward until she felt her spine crack before padding over to the window to look out over the green world. Each of the shifters homes were built in the trees, windows were small enough that to any foreign traveller would appear to be nothing more than cracks in the bark as a result from age, doors were not on the ground but were high up in the branches and their were no worn paths in the ground.

Their home, for the most part, appeared to be invisible to all those without the eyes to see.

Alissa's stomach began to growl and rumble its way around her belly, so she decided to go and break her fast. She climbed up several flights of stairs that seemed to be part of the tree until she reached the top story where the larder was.

She grabbed a piece of fruit and a hunk of meat that was hanging from the ceiling. Placing both onto a piece of stale bread she wandered outside and sat down on a branch, high up in the treetops. She started tearing into the raw steak almost absentmindedly as she waited for her father to awaken.

It didn't take him long, the Bloodripper was a light sleeper, so attuned to his surroundings that the slightest disturbance in the air around him would cause him to sit bolt upright, ready to do damage if necessary.

Her father had aged greatly after the loss of his wife. He had grown a beard that settled just above his midriff, lines were etched deeply into his pale face and his eyes, once a vivid green, had gone dull with a blindness caused by a fire several centuries before. He had not remarried which meant that Alissa had no siblings. She didn't mind, it was just the two of them and that was how she liked it, although recently her father had begun pressuring her to find a mate to continue their line. She was content the way she was so resisted the idea.

His leg was troubling him this morning, Alissa thought, noting the knobbed staff clutched tightly in his hand whilst the other clutched at the railing she herself had built into the wall several years before. But despite this, he was still immaculately dressed in his robes of silver, hair and beard neatly combed and a wide smile was plastered on his face when his blind eyes turned towards her.

"Alissa my child" he greeted her warmly, arms encircling her when she pushed herself to her feet. She hugged him back before releasing him to make him some tea.

She stoked the fire until it was hot enough for the water to boil before she collected the herbs he liked to place into the cup already sitting in front of his usual spot by the window.

As usual, he sat down heavily and placed his staff carefully out of the way so she wouldn't trip (as she had a number of times previously) and held his arm out the window. Alissa had barely begun to pour the steaming liquid into the king's cup before a bird alighted on his arm.

"Ho, Ho Derian, what news do you bring to the king" Alissa queried politely as the bird shook his feathers to settle himself better on his awkward perch. He coughed once before replying "Your highnesses, I hope to find you in good health. I however, do not bring the usual morning report other than that our population has grown by two more after the birth of Maris's twin daughters"

Alistair smiled with real warmth at the news " So the tigress has had cubs, I wondered why no news or baking had found its way to my ears" Maris was one of the women who had taken Alissa under their wing to better instruct on the ways of womanhood than her poor embarrassed father could when asked a question at the dinner table, and had been like a second mother to her as well as one of the many staff that worked within the bowels of the great tree where the royal family lived.

The bird coughed again before speaking again " I have also heard from a friend of mine who dwells close to Imladeris" Both shifters growled quietly at the name and the bird winced but bravely continued with his message "It seems that your people have not been as forgotten as you thought my lord, and it appears that you have been summoned to appear at a council"

"SUMMONED! The elf lord thinks he can summon me like some deranged pup?!" Alistair completely lost his composure and the poor bird squeaked in fright and hopped delicately off his arm to perch on top of the sugar bowel.

Alissa laid a hand on her fathers should until he quieted before she nodded at the bird "Speak friend, know no harm shall come to you, what is the nature of this council and what other manner of creatures have been summoned"

"Many young mistress" Derian croaked, "Dwarves, men and even some little folk I know none about. It seems all free peoples have been summoned"

"Thank you my friend, you may go" The bird looked nervously at the king, whose face still bore a thunderous expression before quickly taking flight out of the open window.

Alissa sighed and walked over to the larder to fix her fathers pre-banquet meal and said "You'd think that the birds of Derian's line would've worked out by now that we aren't going to eat them" bringing the plate back she slid into the chair next to her father and placed the dish in front of him.

Unsheathing his claws, Alistair delicately picked off the strip of fat along the edge of the meat before picking it up in his hands to chew. "Its because it's the natural order of things Alissa, we are predator class, and so therefore eat other animals to survive, it is only natural that he, as the smaller being, sees himself as subject to those laws and can only hope that we find it in our selves to disregard him as dinner"

Alissa laughed "Yes but I would never eat him, feathers are awfully hard to pick out of ones teeth"

Alistair smiled his agreement before sobering "What matter would be so important that the elf lord would want my council?" Alissa knew the question was not directed at her and so did not voice her opinion, not that she had a clue.

Alistair ran his hand through his hair in agitation "He has a nerve to ask such a thing of me! We have been sitting here in our forest for millennia and never has he had the gall to extend the hand of friendship for fear. He is a coward! And cowards do what they d best" he said bitterly, meat laid aside " this is likely some sort of quest he cannot find within himself to do, so must send others to in his stead"

"But father, why now of all times. You and I both know of the shadow descending over the forest? You cannot tell me this is mere coincidence that can be dismissed as an elvish trick. Why not answer the summons?"

Alistair looked down at his plate "I cannot be seen as weak my daughter, that I would bow down to this elfs wishes, despite the logic you present to me"

They sat in silence for a long while until the sun was high enough that the shadowy shapes of the surrounding leaves filtered through the window to stretch across the room. It was then that Alissa spoke "Then it is I who shall answer the summons father"

Expecting to hear him negate against her, she was surprised to find that he only sighed and nodded before looking out the window, a single tear dripping down his weathered cheek.

Alissa rose fluidly from her chair and padded over to stand behind him. She rested her head on his shoulder and rubbed her cheek against his briefly before she moved away to begin packing for the journey to the elven city.

She would need to travel light, as she would get there faster than the three weeks if she travelled in her animal form. As such she would only take her three knives, a satchel with her royal garb and a few tunics and leggings, enough food for a week (she'd have to hunt when the time arose) and her bag of dust.

It didn't take her long to pack, so she just stood around staring at the room that had been hers for several long years and the weight of what she had decided to do began to push onto her shoulders. She had never left Fangorn before, and although she remembered the fall of Yor, the other memories she possessed of the outside world were vague to the point of non-existence.

The room appeared timeless, in her eyes. Nothing much had changed in the years she had been there. There was still the same bed she had been tucked up into every night after her father had bade the councilors leave, the marks on her armoire from her badly aimed knife practice, the chest filled with all the things a child has, stones and twigs of particular significance or interest, toys, scuffed and marked with age and also…the only thing left of her mother. The ream of silk that had been bought for her all those years ago had been placed in the chest to only be brought out on special occasions. She still didn't know how it had been saved in the frenzy of destruction but it bought her great comfort for sometimes, if she concentrated hard enough, she could catch a faint whiff of her mothers perfume.

She knelt in front of the box and lifted the lid up. It creaked loudly in the stillness of the room. She rifled through a few of her treasures until she reached the latch at the bottom. She flicked it and it popped smartly open. She pulled out the shimmering cloth. It was indeed beautiful. Swirly silver was threaded through until the gold appeared to ripple like water. A mockery of the fate that had befallen them, Alissa morbidly thought. She lifted the material closer to her nose and sniffed gently. Underneath the layers of scents the passing years had left on them, sticky fingers, earth and dust, she could still smell her. Her mother had always worn the most exotic of perfumes, her father had told her, each day she tried several on like an variety of candies a child might sneak from a stoic parent until she was satisfied that her scent matched her mood.

It was sweet yet heady at the same time. Vanilla and caramel, Roses and Dahlias or apples and cinnamon. After all these years Alissa still couldn't decide what it was.

She decided it was too precious a gift to not take with her and she gently folded it to place into her bag. Then, when she looked at the few items in the satchel already, rushed around the room to gather the things she missed.

At the last minute chucking a shawl inside the bag in case of cold weather, however unlikely, she left the room without a second glance.

Her father was still sitting at the table, only this time he was not alone. Two burly soldier class men stood behind him. It was obvious who these men were because they carried identical satchels to the one she carried and could only quirk an eyebrow at her father before she went to sit in front of him.

**Yes I know its been a long wait…. But university has started for me so like I said, updates will be slow. Obviously I don't own anything except for my OC's and I must thank everybody for the response I have received from this story.**

**I can only promise that I will try to continue updating but like I said, uni has started and I have no idea what to expect except to work my little tail feathers off.**

**Also to those of you who seem to be unclear on the matter. Alissa is a shape-shifter. Now the shape shifters in this are a completely different breed to the normal wacky middle earthians so of course they are going to seem like they have a more modern like attribute. The crystal thing I mentioned in the previous chapter was like a magic thingymawhatsit that only works if it has a mortal sacrifice. Like the elves shifters are long lived but are still susceptible to maladies of the flesh such as grief and sickness.**

**Also another reminder to ****_one person_**** who reviewed: THIS IS MY FANFICTION AND I CAN DO WHATEVER I LIKE WITH IT. I'm sorry it doesn't meet your expectations but to be honest there are other stories you can read that will. I'm also sorry if you were only trying to help but your review didn't come across very well and kinda made me a bit nervous of posting this chapter. Also regarding the grammar issues. I know it sucks. My spell checker is broken as most of my other readers already know because they have read my other story and if you are also a fanfiction writer you would know how hard it is to read your own book.**

**Sorry for everyone else that had to read that. I was just venting – won't happen again….**

**Anyways hope you all are having a great day and are enjoying life to the fullest and all that jazz. :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay first of all I would like to apologize to gregja21 for the comments posted a few days ago. At first, hard to believe I'm sure, i was unaware of the authors note comment posted on the previous chapter. Originally I had typed up the usual disclaimer and explanation of the parts some of my readers did not understand. Imagine my surprise when Vana Jedi bought it to my attention about something mentioned in the previous chapter. I looked up my original copy on my computer and couldn't find anything. But when I looked up on my chapter on the Internet roughly 10 minutes later, I was shocked at what I found. I did not write the last snippet at the bottom.**

**So of course being in a dorm, I asked everyone who had been in my room in the past week (few numbers don't worry) and it turns out that one of my friends had been offended on my behalf about one of the comments made earlier and so had decided to type something on edit when I was briefly out of the room, saved it with me none the wiser. I have made it very clear to her that I was not offended and in fact tried harder to improve my writing (because after all, that is what I what I am writing for) because of the comments and in fact welcomed them. Also I was a little shocked that she thought she had the right to go through my emails and word documents. **** She has also been made aware that this is not okay.**

**Okay second thing. I have also been asked as to what destroyed the city of Yor in the first chapter. It is as I hopefully described it. A wave that buried it beneath its surface, rather like the way Atlantis sunk beneath the ocean. By the by I have taken literary license with the fact that I don't know if there is a sea on the edges of Fangorn. (If anyone can tell me then feel free) but for the sake of my story, there is a sea on the other side of Fangorn. Also Alissa is a cheetah shifter so has tawny hair, olive-toned skin and dark green eyes. She is human like in appearance but they live a lot longer than other free peoples aside from the elves. Around 900 years is the limit. She is in effect a cat in human skin. She can half-shift in the way her nails can lengthen (like knife finger lady in X-men who fights wolverine) and she can fight with her knives as well if she doesn't want to be picking orc from underneath her fingernail (YUK!) her teeth lengthen etc etc you'll find more out later :D**

**So again, I am soooo sorry gregja21 for the mix up earlier, its taught me to not leave my fanfiction up where other people can access it. Thank you Vana Jedi for alerting me to this problem.**

**Let me make one thing clear: I want you to give your opinions because it enables me to improve, not stay at the same boring old level.**

**I hope this kind of thing doesn't happen again and please please PLEASE forgive me for letting such a thing happen.**

* * *

Of course she was nervous, stepping out into the big wide world, but this was just plain ridiculous, thought Alissa as she hovered on the edges of Fangorn, the bright sunlight streaming uninterrupted by anything for as far as her eyes could see. It was brighter than she was used to so her eyes were veiled by her lashes till they adjusted for the time being.

The forest had ended so abruptly that it had caught Alissa unprepared, the leaves still thick and damp right onto the edge, but it opened out onto a dry grassy plain with no shelter except for a few spindly shrubs whose shade barely made a mark on the rippling grass.

Taking a deep breath, Alissa centered herself, and took a step forward, her escorts following her lead. She had taken off her boots sometime ago so her bare feet now rested on top of the grass. She tried to dig her toes into the dirt but it was so hard that she just about cracked her nails in the brief effort so just settled for running the soles of her feet around, loving the feel of its flattening and stroking fronds.

She whipped her head around at the clearing a throat and saw it was Gin.

"My Lady, we should not linger any longer than necessary, we do not know what else may be watching"

Alissa nodded once and reluctantly bent down to place her shoes again on her bare feet, her eyes still flickering up around the vast space with longing. Oh how good it would be to remove her human skin and run as fast as the wind now dusting the landscape! But the pressing need to reach Imladeris in the short time amounted to them halted that line of thought and with it, Alissa squashed the want into the back of her mind, promising herself only that it would be soon.

Anyways, her escorts couldn't run as fast as she could, their animals limitations focused more on strength rather than endurance and speed, and she would only end up ducking back to them after a few meters once Gin and Tyro begun to panic.

However they could keep up with her version of jogging which she broke into as soon as the soft leather of her shoes had properly molded to her feet. This pace, if they could maintain it would break down the journey time in half. Even now, the dark, familiar forests of Fangorn were rapidly falling behind them until only the tips of the tallest trees could be seen behind the rolling hills.

* * *

A FEW DAYS LATER….

Alissa found herself missing home dreadfully, especially once she saw the near perfection of the trees that marked the boundaries to the elf city. Each perfectly manicured as though whipped into a shape pleasing to a perfectionist.

The leaves were artfully arranged and soft under her once again bare feet but almost uncomfortable in their feel. Alissa darted her head around at the unfamiliar noises, her senses on high alert until she was nearly dizzy with the overload. Thankfully, she was not the only one. Her escorts seemed to be having difficulty adjusting as well as she could see them swaying slightly from an invisible breeze just out of the corner of her vision.

Feeling as if they could all use a short rest to orientate themselves, Alissa raised her fist to a halt and all three of them slumped at the base of a nearby tree.

Alissa closed her eyes and tried to focus on her breathing. In, out, in and out until the pounding in her senses ebbed and disappeared completely when she became used to the sharp smells around her. Reaching into her satchel, she felt around for her skein of water and took a long drink. It was good that they were near the end of their destination she thought, for they were out of food. She wasn't hungry, having eaten her fill of a deer carcass earlier, leaving the rest for the scavengers she could sense lurking around them. Her escorts however, had had to shift into their animal forms in order to process the grasses they walked on and they had point blank refused to eat anything that could have been trodden on by an elf. Gins belly gave an audible growl whilst tyro just remained slumped with

Alissa opened her eyes and pushed herself to her feet. Returning her skein to her satchel, she moved over to her guards and hooked her arm under their shoulders to help them stand. She then pulled the hood of her travelling cloak over her head and watched them do the same, their eyes the only light glinting in the shadow of the hood.

Just in time as well for Alissa sensed something stir in the air. Without any more warning, she saw lithe figures nearly melt from the surrounding trees to point their weapons at the group. Bows, stretched taut, arrows polished and sharp, the elves made for an impressive force even in small numbers. Without facing away from the party in front of her, Alissa didn't react to the _snick_ of swords being removed from their scabbard as her guards responded to the obvious threat.

She said nothing when one of the elves pushed forward and said something to her. Not because she was being rude, but because she genuinely didn't understand what the dark-haired elf was speaking about. For all she knew, he could merely be commenting on the weather.

But she knew, most elves knew Westron, a tongue she had not used before outside of her lessons, having had no need to use it before in her forest, _hopefully _she would be able to string a few words together to form a coherent sentence.

She placed her hand over her heart in a brief salute before speaking, her words slow and unsure "Is it common for the elves to greet their guests" she paused, searching for the word "with hostility?"

"Who are you and what business do you have in Rivendell" the elf's tone was brisk as if eager to get on with whatever else elves did all day.

Alissa glanced back at her travelling companions and raised her hands to lower their swords. They hesitated but obeyed her silent command nonetheless. She turned back to face the elf.

"We have travelled far to answer the call of Elrond"

The elf remained stoic and poised. "Who are you?"

Alissa pushed back her hood to stare at the elf whose eyes widened in recognition. She chuckled slightly "I take it you have met my father" she said quietly before saying louder.

"I am Alissa, daughter of the BloodRipper, leader of the last peoples of Yor and as said before, I have answered your Lords call".

This seemed to satisfy the elves who abruptly lowered their weapons. Alissa let out a slightly shaky breath.

The dark-haired elf spoke again "Lady Alissa, please allow me to accompany you to the city and show you as to where you and your companions will be staying"

She nodded again and tensed slightly when the elves surrounded them on all sides to 'escort' them. They were too close, their scent was cloying her nose and causing that headache of her senses to return. Her nose wrinkled and she tried hard to breath through her mouth.

By now they had started walking at a pace slower than the shifters were used to, the elves were silent as they walked sedately, barely rustling a leaf. Alissa found herself slightly annoyed by the silence, which was as heavy as a blanket of shadow, and tried running what she remembered of her lessons through her mind in order to come up with something to say to fill the silence. Unfortunately, al that ran through was greetings and how to say that it was sunny. And the gods knew that talking about the weather was the downfall of any conversation. The only reason she had learnt Westron was because her father had forbade anyone from teaching her Elvish, a severe disability now it seemed.

However the trek did not last long and soon the great walls of the elven city rose up from the trees. Most of her escort had drifted off back to the forest by now until only her own people and the dark-haired elf were left.

He swept through the gates, looking back on her impatiently when she slowed to take in the spectacle in front of her. She was definitely not in Fangorn anymore.

Every building reeked of elf. Statues of maidens flowed up into delicate curve's which ended in glistening spires. Steps carved from one block of stone were flawless and bright in the sunlight. There were patio like structures everywhere, as if the elves thought to welcome nature into their homes. But Alissa could tell that it was a limited invitation for the trees were too perfect and the flowers to bright for them to have all come from nature. She frowned when she saw an elf snipping off parts of a bush to make it into a shape similar to that of a fox.

It was beautiful, yet at the same time felt too strange to really be apart of this world.

"Lady Alissa" followed by a prod in the back as Tyro, one of her guards, bent down to whisper in her ear "The elf grows impatient"

She mumbled back "As if I hadn't noticed that before" but she heeded him and moved to follow the elf who had stood waiting for her in one of the patios which lead to a leafy corridor. It was a relief to be in the shade for the sun had been burning into her back. The leafy tunnel was perhaps the wildest looking place in the entire city, from what she'd briefly glimpsed. Vines hung down limply in tangled clumps with flowers blooming on them. Roots of the trees outside seemed to all congeal here to writhe and spread silently to form a complicated pattern for the floor. It almost, _almost_ felt like home and Alissa found she could breath a lot easier and her body relaxed from its tense posture.

They walked down it and the elf spoke "Your rooms are here" he gestured to the two doors in the middle of the tunnel "My lord Elrond bids you to meet him in that _tellon_ over there" the elf pointed something out that the shifters couldn't see and the elf rolled his eyes at their blank expressions. Tyro growled warningly and the elf shifted uncomfortably before continuing. "Just continue down this corridor, make a right and then a left. You'll know it when you see it. Now I take leave for my duty lies in the forest, not watching over a cub playing at maturity."

Alissa mouth dropped open as the rude elf sauntered away, head held high until he disappeared from view entirely. Gin let out a heavy breath and made to go after him but Alissa held him back. "We are in _their_ territory. It would be unwise to make a fuss over nothing" However the insult had found it's mark and suddenly Alissa could feel the first stirrings of doubt. She tried shaking it, but her confidence, which had been with her up until that moment, had gone.

She bade goodnight to her escorts, who glanced at her worriedly but did nothing, and pushed open the heavy oak door that was to be her room for the next few days.

The first things she noticed was that didn't smell as strong in here. Light drifted in with a green tinge through the small, ornate window and a sheet of gossamer material floated dreamily across it's surface. The furniture was not elvish, but sturdy, with many cuts in the wood to attest to its strength. The linen looked crisp, not a crease marred it's surface and there was something fluffy at the head of the bed that Alissa could not find a use for.

It was too squishy to be used as a squab, and it was too small for that matter either. She picked it up and held it to her nose in curiosity. It smelled of feathers and the soap the elves had used for the rest of the linen. Maybe it was for her feet to rest on?

That was kind of them. She silently thanked whoever had put together this comfortable room and placed it back where she had found it earlier at the head of the bed.

Curiosity sated, she then proceeded to unpack her few belongings. Her royal garb was hung over the bed frame ready for the council sessions tomorrow. Her brush and soaps were placed next to the washbasin she had discovered beside the bed and she placed the rest carefully in the lockable trunk at the end of her bed.

She discovered a key on the inside so made sure to grab it before she closed the lid on it. She blushed at the thought of what the elves would say of the cub that was stupid as to not grab it before she locked her belongings inside, the one who couldn't even hold a proper conversation in the common tongue aside from those required of etiquette.

That done she glanced around the room and realized then that she had nothing to do. It was unlikely she would be given free reign of the city…but surely it wouldn't hurt if she looked around to find out where the council was meeting the next morn?

With that decided she had just enough thought to grab her bag of dust and tied it too her belt, before shutting the heavy door on her new dwelling.

She glanced around and found no one to be there so made to continue in the direction the rude elf had sent her in. Steps were hesitant and sporadic. She trotted to the end of the tunnel before slowing down again, glancing around with wide eyes when she thought she saw someone.

However there was no one and she cursed at herself for being so silly. Of course the elves wouldn't want to be near the _animals_, they were too refined and sophisticated for that. She felt a small bubble of anger well up at the thought before she shook it away and turned her steps to the right of the tunnel.

Somehow despite the simplicity of the elf's instructions, Alissa found herself to be lost. She had somehow found herself in a library of sorts, if the amount of books on the wall were of any significance, and because she obviously wouldn't be able to follow her own scent back with all the elf stench around, she decided to see if one was written in her own language before she moved on.

There was only one out of the whole library and it was about the benefits of gardening for the heart and soul. Deciding it was better than nothing and the fact that she read the date it was written was to be in the golden ages of Yor, she wandered around, the heavy book digging into her arm, looking for somewhere to go read.

She found herself in a room with a solitary statue. In its arms it held a silk draped tray and figured it was as good a place as any. She sat down on the steps next to the being and opened the book. Dust blew out into her face and she squinted to blink it out of her eyes. The pages crackled with age, yet the parchment it had been written on was still as clear as the day it was written. Placing her finger under the first symbol on the line, she began to read.

It was surprisingly interesting for it was not, in fact, as she had originally assumed, solely about gardening, but more about the great sights of the kingdom of Yor, she became more and more engrossed in its text.

She didn't know much about Yor aside from what her people had told her about the place, for she had been too young when it had fallen to remember much about anything. SO little had been saved from the crumbling city and books had been far from most peoples mind, but one bear had managed, somehow, to save most of his personal library for he had lived on the outskirts of Yor in one of the farming villages so had more time to escape the great wave that had smothered the great city from existence.

She wished she could remember, especially after the book described one of the gardens that lay outside of the musical oval, as it was called, in which musicians from all over Middle Earth would travel to and play both new and traditional songs and stories. The gardens, it was said had consisted of both the flowers of the day and the flowers of the moon. So the garden always had flowers to display no matter the time. Where one set shut for the day, the others would open for the night and it was said their fragrance was the most delectable thing to experience in ones life.

So engrossed was she, that whilst learning some things about gardening she would most likely forget come morning, she was startled out of her reading when she noticed the presence of a human sitting not far from her. The man looked up when he noticed her watching him and gave her a brief smile and a nod. She kept staring and the man raised an eyebrow "Is there something you require my Lady?"

Alissa felt a blush spread across her face at being caught out and she tried to form a reply in her mind in which to respond. But the only thing she could think of to say was a genius "No" before she forced her gaze back to the pages on her lap. So what if he was the first human she'd met? There was no need to gawk at him the way she did.

But then she thought of something that she might be able to say. Her head lifted up and this time she met his eyes. "How I not notice you"

"How do you mean?" he asked softly

"I not smell you, I don't hear you"

"Perhaps you were just focused on your book?" he suggested with another smile. "What are you reading?"

Wordlessly she held up the front cover briefly before settling it back down on her lap. She met his eyes a third time to notice his had gone wide. "You can read that?"

"Yes" she said not understanding why he was asking her such a thing.

"That book is of an ancient culture"

"Yes"

"How is it you can read it? I have read all the great literature stored in Lord Elrond's library _except _for that one"

Alissa shrugged slightly suddenly nervous "Why? Should I not read it? I didn't mean to. It was just…the only thing I could" she finished lamely. She mentally slapped herself and made to leave. "I'll put it back", she said quickly.

She left the room with the somber statue and the human far behind. Breaking into a run she forgot completely about returning the book. It was still clasped in her arms when she spotted one of her escorts standing in the middle of a familiar corridor.

His face was relieved when he beheld her but his eyes narrowed in thought when he saw the book in her arms. "My lady Alissa, if you had wanted to see the city you should have asked Gin or myself to accompany you…it is what we're here for after all"

Alissa nodded "But if I had asked you the I would not have been able to get lost and find this," she indicated the book "but that is neither here nor there, I will stay in my room until the morn for I find myself suddenly too exhausted to do anything else"

* * *

Tyro waited for her to walk into her room and for the normal night noises to die down into a quiet murmur before he began to walk in the direction in which Alissa had run from. He tracked her scent, mentally shackling his animal when it shied at her predator scent and made it focus on the task at hand.

He found the end of his path at the base of a somber statue holding a splintered sword in its arms. Her scent was strongest at the base of the statue but he couldn't see anything around that would cause her to have a reaction like that. He stilled when he felt eyes on his back and felt his own widen as his beast reacted to the unknown creature behind him.

He leapt around to face his adversary, hands reaching for his knife by his side. However it was only a solitary male, a _human _male. Cursing under his breath he sheathed his sword.

The man raised a hand slightly in greeting before glancing down at his book again. "This place used to be quiet" Tyro heard him mutter quietly under his breath.

This caused Tyro to frown. And knowing himself to be a bit more competent in Westron than the Lady Alissa, he spoke, choosing his words carefully. "What has changed about it?" and before the man could answer Tyro blurted out "Had you seen a girl here earlier?"

The man looked up "Yes, a little thing she was too, she grew distressed when I asked her how she could read the book she was holding, but judging from your line of questioning, you obviously know of her" the last trailed off into a question.

Tyro breathed heavily through his nose and made to walk away from the human male. As he exited the door the human called out. "If you should see her, could you apologize?" This caused Tyro to pause briefly, the night air drifting around him with a silence he was not willing to break. He raised an eyebrow in question and the human continued "I didn't mean to offend her"

Tyro regarded the human for a moment, searching for a sign of trickery but only saw that he meant it. He nodded briefly before walking off.

* * *

**WOW I worked out the line breaks! Anyways next chapter may be a bit long in coming depending on uni. But you never know :D i might update ****tomorrow if my schedule works out.**

**ANyways please feel free to leave a review before you hit that back button ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

The next day dawned bright and early for Alissa, although it was not what awoke her. The sound of many hooves thundered past her window at that ungodly hour, causing her to leap up, claws unsheathed to their fullest and looking around wildly.

When she established the source of the noise she angrily swept her hand through her hair, forgetting about the claws. She hissed at the slight pain and had to force herself to calm down enough so she could slide the extended nails to the appropriate length.

That little drama sorted she figured she may as well begin preparations for the council. To say she was nervous would've been an understatement. Her guts were clenching despite her outwardly calm appearance.

_Show no fear_

Her fathers last words to her drifted to the forefront of her mind and a wave of homesickness rose up to replace the nervousness.

Emotionally she was a wreck at this current point in time but she would try her best to live up to her father's expectations. Despite the hardship.

She decided to focus on getting ready. She walked over to the bed frame where she had hung her council garb the previous night. She pulled off her leggings and top and proceeded to fit the soft material. Considered scandalous by many, it was still a far cry from her comfortable travel clothes that left her shoulders and most of her legs bare. The dress, for want of a better word, still showed a lot of skin. The bodice was tight but it redeemed itself in her eyes from the way the sides were cut away. It allowed her to move a great deal more easily even with the cloth flowing its way to her ankles. There were giant slits in the side of her skirt so she could move normally.

A dark blue in color, it accentuated her olive toned skin and bought out the emerald of her eyes.

To finish it off she draped a heavy cloak around her shoulders, tying the heavy cord at her throat. She kept her feet bare for she detested the slippers she was supposed to wear. A small rebellion but it was enough to make her feel better.

A thought struck her. Today was the day her race 'came out of hiding'. She would be the first one of her kind to be seen by the other races there in several centuries. She wondered: what they would think of her? Would they find her remarkable? Unremarkable? Exotic or too different to be welcomed into the fold?

She scolded herself for these selfish thoughts. Why should she care? It wasn't as if their opinions mattered. It wasn't as if she was about to meet the heroes and people in her stories. Why was she so jittery?

* * *

It was this question that still haunted her as she closed the heavy door behind her and made her way to what she thought was the location of the council's 'secret' meeting. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Gin and Tyro fall into step behind her.

At the end of the corridor she glanced around to see if anybody was around who could direct her for she found nothing familiar to her from her wanderings the previous evening. However nobody was around, the terraces were empty. It almost looked as though no one lived there at all. She sighed to herself and headed towards the next corridor. Surely they would all connect somehow?

But it wasn't until she had journeyed for what felt like an age that she found her bearings. She sniffed the air and tried to ignore the watering of her eyes as the faux scents of the elves sauntered their way in. She figured that the highest concentration of it would be where the council was. Also in the same place she could smell dirt. Lots of it. That had to count for something in this place. No elf would ever want _dirt_ in their midst. So she was willing to gamble.

She proceeded at a brisk walk. Grateful she had departed earlier than she had originally thought because now, thanks to her misdirection, she had less than a few minutes before they convened.

The patio she came to was flooded with sunlight and leaves. As well as a variety of different creatures she was unfamiliar with. She noticed that almost everybody was seated and she fought back the blush threatening to stain her cheeks.

She schooled her features to polite calm before stepping into their field of vision. At her entrance the elf at the head of the table stood and stepped gracefully over to greet her.

"Greetings My Lady, I trust you have found your peace in our halls?"

She was surprised and gladdened that he had thought to speak in her language.  
"Of course my Lord, how can one not find peace under your bower? I apologize for my lateness and for the absence of my father, he could not bring himself to leave our people and sent myself in his stead"

The elf nodded and Alissa thought she could see a flicker of disappointment in his eyes but dismissed it as he proceeded to usher herself and her guards in amongst the others. He showed her to her seat.

It was surprisingly comfortable but narrow and she made sure to perch on it with as much dignity as she could muster without falling off. If she had difficulty, she shuddered to think how the much larger behinds of the males in the council were faring.

Tyro and Gin refused to sit in their seats. Instead they stood on either side of her in what she knew was an imposing image. Stubborn fools.

Her arrival had triggered a few stares from other members of the council. Many of which she met with her own until they were forced to look away. Didn't they know it was rude to stare? Not to mention exceedingly dangerous amongst her kin?

An otherworldly stare from one of the elf kind sitting across from her refused to look away and Gin, noticing this let out a growl in warning. The blond elf merely raised his eyebrow before turning to look at Elrond who was now calling the council to order.

"Strangers from distant lands, friends of old. You have been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor" Here the elf let a weighty pause follow his words before he continued, "Middle Earth stands on the brink of destruction. None can escape it. You will unite or you will fall. Each race is bound to this fate, this one doom"

The elf then stood and gestured towards the pedestal in the center of the council. "Bring forth the Ring, Frodo"

Alissa was surprised when a child-like creature rose from his seat next to a figure cloaked in grey and placed a gold ring directly in the middle. He then made his way to his seat, a look of utmost relief plastered on his young face.

Evil was tangible in the air and Alissa could smell the fear as well as the desire it brought with. Whispers and mutterings sounded around the circle, each member interpreting the siren call of the ring in a different way. All eyes were snared on the seemingly harmless object, mesmerized. Alissa herself could not help but stare at it. She wanted it, wouldn't it look pretty on one of her fingers? All she had to do was reach out and take it, kill the others if necessary to gain what she truly desired.

Truly desired? At this Alissa wrenched herself from its influence, surprised at her reaction to it. She eyed it warily.

As if in answer to its silent call a man from the south, a white tree emblazoned on his tunic, stepped forward, catching her attention.

"In a dream, I saw the eastern sky grow dark. But in the West a pale light lingered. A voice was crying: Your doom is near at hand. Isildur's bane is found"

He walked over to the pedestal as if he were indeed in a dream; his movements jerky like that of a marionette. His fingers hovered over the ring and he muttered as if to himself, "Isildur's Bane"

Just before his fingers could brush the surface of the little object, Elrond leapt up and loudly exclaimed "Boromir!". But this wasn't what forced the man to sit back down. The man in grey sitting next to the child stood and began chanting in a horrible tongue and although she couldn't understand the words, Alissa felt her blood turn cold and her head began to pound in time to his chant. She clutched at her ears and curled over in her seat, just as the smell of rotting flesh reached her nostrils.

As quickly as it had come, the horrible experience disappeared and Alissa vaguely noticed that the man had stopped speaking, and that she wasn't the only one breathing heavily.

Tyro and Gin were both heavily leaning against her chair and she stood abruptly and forced them into the seats beside her, before retaking her own. They both collapsed into them.

Elrond finally brought himself to speak "Never before has any voice uttered the words of that tongue here in Imladeris!"

The man in grey replied a little gruffly, "I do not ask your pardon, Master Elrond, for the black speech of Mordor may yet be heard in every corner of the West! The ring," he spat "Is all together Evil". He shot Boromir a final scathing glance before he retook his seat.

Unperturbed however, Boromir spoke, "Ah but it is a gift! A gift to the foes of Mordor. Why not use this ring?" he got up and began to pace in front of them all, "Long has my father, the steward of Gondor, kept the forces of Mordor at bay. By the blood of our people are your lands kept safe! Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy. Let _us_ use it against him"

"You cannot wield it! None of us can. The One Ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other Master" The man from the night before had spoken.

"And what would a ranger know of this matter?"

At this Alissa spoke up "Enough to warrant his being here I should believe Boromir, Son of Gondor" Again she cursed her limited knowledge of Westron as her words still came out heavily accented and slow but she had little time to ponder this when an elf to her left stood up.

"This is no mere ranger. He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. _You_ owe him your allegiance". His voice was soft and fluid, like water trickling across velvet. But the tone was hard and his eyes were glaring razors at Boromir.

The man in question had a stunned expression on his face. "Aragorn? This…is Isildur's heir?" he reassessed the ranger.

The elf piped up again "And heir to the throne of Gondor"

Aragorn said something in elvish and the elf sat down.

Boromir finally spat out after a short pause "Gondor has no king. Gondor needs no king" he sat down and glared daggers at Aragorn.

The grey man spoke up then as if the short banter had never occurred "Aragorn is right. We cannot use it"

"You have only one choice…. The ring must be destroyed" A small part that Alissa knew was still under the influence of the ring sank at Elrond's words, a deep worry settling into the pit of her stomach.

"Then what are we waiting for?" A red haired dwarf stood up abruptly, fisted an axe in his hand and swung it up into the air to be brought down on the ring with a resounding crash.

The dwarf was repelled back into his fellows and a wince from the child caused Alissa's attention to be diverted from the actions of the dwarf. Shards of the axe flew about everywhere but the ring still sat in the center of the pedestal, unharmed and seemingly mocking them in its wholeness. It began to whisper in its foul tongue yet again.

"The Ring cannot be destroyed Gimli, son of Gloin by any craft that we here possess. The ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom. Only there can it be unmade. It must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came." Elrond paused to sweep them all with his sharp eyes before saying clearly "One of you, must do this"

A deep and heavy silence weighed down on the council at Elrond's words. Broken only by the Son of Gondor who uttered, "One does not simply walk into Mordor. Its black gates are guarded by more than just Orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep. And the great Eye is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland. Riddled with fire, ash and dust, the very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this. It is Folly"

The elf from before stood up in indignation "Have you heard _nothing _of what Lord Elrond has said, the Ring must be destroyed!"

"And I supposed you think you're the one to do it?" Gimli bellowed, unnecessarily Alissa thought.

Boromir rose menacingly and stood in front of the elf "And if we fail, what then?! What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?"

Gimli couldn't help himself and added "I will be dead before I see the ring in the hands of an elf!"

Utter uproar rose as the races fired up and began shouting things at each other, arguing and talking over one another to voice their opinions, not all of them centered on the matter at hand.

Alissa couldn't help a small smile that spread briefly on her face and she leant over to talk to Gin. "Politics amuse me," she said simply.

Gin merely chuckled before his gaze hardened on the party in front of him. Tyro had shifted ever so slightly in front of Alissa, or as well as he could when still seated, and she heard the distinct _shing_ as he half removed his sword from its scabbard.

Just when the intensity of the arguments began to increase, the child stood up and yelled "I will take it!" and when the commotion refused to die down, he repeated again, only louder "I will take it!"

At this the commotion died down completely and a silence full of disbelief fell upon them all. Frodo now had the ring in his hand and seemed to shrink in on himself slightly when all the eyes focused on him again yet his voice sounded strong and true. "I will take the ring to Mordor. Though…I do not know the way"

The grey beard walked towards Frodo "I will help you bear this burden Frodo Baggins, as long as it is your burden to bear"

Aragorn too rose to kneel in front of him "If by my life or death I can protect you, I will" he vowed, "You have my sword"

"And you have my bow" The blond elf wandered over leisurely to join them.

"And my axe" the dwarf was unwilling to be outdone by an elf.

Alissa then stood up and all eyes focused on her. Ignoring the whispers of her guards, she hesitated then spoke as well as she could. "My home is in the Forests of this world youngling and this evil has begun to reek its way into its heart" she paused to try to phrase it so that he could understand in her limited vocabulary "I will help you destroy evil". She then swept over to stand at his side; ignoring the looks her frantic guards were shooting her.

Boromir, to her surprise was the next to stand and pledge himself. "You carry the fate of us all little one. If this is indeed the will of the council…then Gondor will see it done"

"Heh!" The sound startled her and her claws unsheathed themselves as her body tensed but relaxed when another child came out to stand with his arms folded next Frodo. "Mr. Frodo is going no where without me"

"No indeed it is hardly possible to separate you two even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not" although his words were reprimanding, his tone was altogether amused.

"Wait!" Two more children broke out into a run from where they had concealed themselves behind the pillars. "We're coming too!"

Elrond looked alarmed for a moment at their appearance but the two quickly slowed to a stop to stand next to Frodo on his other side. "You would to send us home in a sack to stop us!"

One of them continued "And you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission…. quest…. thing" Alissa couldn't help but giggle softly to herself. They were an endearing lot!

His friend merely said "Well that rules you out Pip" he was responded by the other giving him a hard shove.

"Ten companions…" Elrond mused, "So be it! Your shall be the fellowship of the Ring"

One of the children then said. "Right, Where are we going?"

Alissa could not help but stare at the Hobbit in disbelief.

* * *

**Right so I know it was a long wait but honestly I struggled with this chapter. You know those awkward moments when you know what going to happen but still can't really phrase it all too well? Well that's what my problem was. Good thing I had chocolate and my new love: Apple and Rhubarb tea!**

**SO anyways, as usual I hope you enjoyed the chapter and please feel free to leave a review before you hit that back button ;)**

**Have a great day!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! Thank you all for your wonderful feedback. OMG I got majorly sunburned yesterday! And only on my forehead! GAH! It burns, it burns us! ;)**

**But I have some major aloe on it so hopefully it will be better by tomorrow because it seriously took all my courage to push my vain self out the door!**

**So anyways hope you enjoy the chapter and I'm sorry the previous chapter was so…. Movie because I seriously had major difficulties so I surrendered to my frustration and googled… also another thing, hopefully my spelling is better because one of my geeky's in my hall fixed my spellchecker this afternoon! YAY :D**

The fellowship of the Ring had decided to gather at the dawn of the new day. Alissa had made sure to dress for movement but had her cloak rolled up tightly for warmth should the need arise. Her small bag of dust was attached to her hip alongside her two, newly sharpened thanks to the elves, blades.

She had been the first one there, so was now awkwardly waiting for the rest of the company to arrive. The first one had been Aragorn who merely inclined his head to her before he settled against the gates of Imladeris to wait.

The Hobbits, as she had learned they were called, had arrived next, all chattering and laughing away as carefree as could be. It turned out that these hobbits were fully grown, not children as she had originally thought. Her mistake had embarrassed her and she hoped that they hadn't taken offence. As they hadn't spoken to her about it, she assumed they hadn't.

Her thoughts turned to her father. She had sent away Tyro and Gin shortly after the council to report back to him. They had not been pleased by her orders for them to go but had promised her that they would get to her father as fast as they could so he could begin making preparations for the dark times ahead.

Her father would not be pleased about her decision either and she worried for his health. He did not need to be worrying about her on top of everything else he had to do. But hopefully, she said to herself, he would also be proud of her and glad that she was fulfilling her dream of seeing the rest of the world.

She was bought out of her thoughts by a hand on her shoulder and she couldn't help but tense slightly, but it was only Gandalf the Grey, signaling to her that they were about to leave.

She took up a position close to the front, away from the elf so that his scent wouldn't linger in her nostrils for any longer than absolutely necessary.

Before long, Elrond had blessed the fellowship and they set off. Soon, the perfectly manicured forest gave way to its wilder cousins and Alissa felt she could breathe for the first time in days. She watched her feet to pass the time, making sure that the small Hobbits stayed within her field of vision, and made no effort to make small talk with the rest of the fellowship. She knew she should at least _try_ but she found that a small tension headache was forming at the base of her temples and she did not want to aggravate it further.

Her Westron was proving a challenge. Sure she could understand everything that was spoken to her but only when she truly focused. Forming a response was the hardest, for she knew _what _she wanted to say but not _how_ to say it.

She was just running through the tenses for the word 'walk' when the elf fell into step beside her and she had to fight with herself not to cringe at his smell.

"It's a beautiful day for walking" he began with a small smile. She fought the urge to laugh. Really? The elf wanted to talk about weather? She just nodded at him but when she said nothing the elf continued "Forgive me my Lady but it seems that I failed to catch your name before we set out on this journey. My name is Legolas"

"Alissa I am called" she smiled thinly; her nose began to ache in time with her head.

His eyes grew concerned "Are you well?"

"Yes" she said. What she wanted to say was '_no I am not alright and would you please move away because you smell really bad?'_ that would've been extremely rude.

The elf's eyes narrowed slightly, why she did not know. "Very well then, I shall leave you to your thoughts" he said and he fell back to walk beside Aragorn who was currently leading the group.

_Hmm, must've had something up his nose maybe,_ she thought wryly to herself grateful that only thing she could smell now was the orchestra that was the various smells of the forest: lichen, dew slipping off a sliver of grass and the roughness of old tree bark.

However, before she could get used to her own company, Gandalf the Grey, a wizard she had learned earlier, came to talk to her as well but instead of speaking in Westron, as she had expected, no, dreaded, he spoke to her in her own tongue. It was a relief to hear it, like a healing balm rubbed over a stiff joint.

"Lady Alissa, forgive me but I have been unable to speak to you until now. I knew your Mother and Father long ago"

"Before Yor then?" she clarified although she already knew the answer.

"Yes" he replied simply, "I was sorry to hear of its destruction though more sorry to hear how reclusive your people have become. Many thought your kind dead."

Alissa halted her footsteps and stared at the wizards back until he too stopped and turned around. The rest of the fellowship came to a halt soon afterwards, watching the woman and wizard warily.

Her eyes remained fixed upon the wizard and the most unnerving thing was that she _didn't_ blink.

Alissa felt a cold fury running through her veins and though she spoke with utmost care, growls lingered on the edges of her words. " Believed or _hoped? _It is not the fault of my people that the Westron's are too _blind_ to see what is so carefully placed in front of them! There were many signs wizard but no. The Westron's saw only what they wished to see".

The fellowship gaped at her. Though they could not understand her tongue, a mixture of growls and hisses it sounded to them, they could understand the shade her tone cast upon her words.

"My dear I was merely making a statement, I meant no offence to you or you kin" rebuked the wizard, "Why should I, when the last I knew of your kind, they showed me great hospitality."

Alissa closed her eyes and counted in her mind, when she felt she had sufficiently calmed she opened them. "Forgive me Gandalf, I am not comfortable around such strangers and find myself reacting to the littlest things." She gestured about her person before she continued. "This is the first time that I have left my home, I know not the place we are, nor do I know the way to the place I am going. I am not used to being at odds with my surroundings."

Gandalf nodded to her and gestured for the fellowship to continue. He held out a hand and she went to his side. Both matched their pace to each other so they could still talk without more pause.

"What is your command of Westron?" Gandalf asked, " You spoke at the council but have had little to say since then. It concerns me to say the least."

"Limited at best. Horrible at worst" Alissa deadpanned and Gandalf cracked a small smile in appreciation of her poor attempt at humor. "I understand most that is said to me, but I find it difficult to find the words in order to reply."

"Well the only wisdom I can offer upon that is to speak to the rest of the fellowship. All of us here but the Shirelings have a different dialect of Westron but they all still had to learn to speak the common. Aragorn and Legolas" he indicated the man and elf with his staff. "Here have the most command of several languages so they know well of the difficulties of a new tongue."

Alissa nodded but frowned in disagreement. Gandalf sighed and stroked his long beard "They are not going to ridicule you for simple mistakes Alissa. You must forget this feeling of not being accepted by them. You are a part of the fellowship, it is time you integrated yourself among us." And as wizards do once they have said their piece, Gandalf fell back and disappeared out of her line of vision, not gone completely but was now obviously needing time to himself.

…

Over the past few days, Alissa had taken Gandalf's advice to heart. Westron flowed a little easier off her tongue although she still inserted a few words of her own that were more often than not, cuss words, into the everyday speak.

She spoke to the Hobbits, finding their queer humor endearing but her focus was almost always on their surroundings. Pippin, of course, was the one she had found to be the greatest distraction. He wanted to know everything about everything about her people, her home and past. At first she had been suspicious of this curiosity but soon found herself discussing, as best as both of them could with the language difficulties, everything he wanted to know.

"Really?! There's a plant that can do that? Hey Merry did you know that there's a plant that like to gnaw on you!"

Or on some days they would talk about the Shire where all the Hobbits would join in to describe in great detail their favorite parts of home and what their thoughts were on the world they had just recently discovered.

It was on a particular scorching day when Alissa first heard in the distance a great tramping of many footsteps pounding into the burnt soil. She had just been handed a bowl of stew (made from some rabbits Aragorn had found earlier that day) when she had frozen to listen. Her stew sloped over the rims of the bowl but she ignored the heat trailing over her hands.

Sam waved a hand in front of her face "Miss Alissa are you alright?" but she didn't answer, so focused was she on the sound. She placed the bowl gently to her side before she rose. Her movement and blank gaze startled the other members of the fellowship. She came back to herself with a start when Legolas placed a hand on her shoulder. She didn't hiss, only glanced at him until the appendage was removed.

"What is it Alissa? Are you unwell?" asked the elf.

"Fine I am," she said but she silenced him with a gesture of her hand in order to listen again before she said. "I hear something with many feet Legolas."

It wasn't long after she spoke that she caught the eyes of Gandalf who nodded at the question in hers. She turned her focus inward, searching for the familiar shape of the cheetah within her and, by mentally grasping it by the paw she tugged it out of herself to be visible to the world. The effects began almost immediately. Her skin began to bubble and the pelt of the cheetah began to froth under its surface. Her nose pushed inward and she felt the fur poking its way through her pores. Her spine curved till she landed on all fours, her teeth elongating, a tail sprouted and she felt her clothes falling off her body, one by one until they lay in a pool about her frame.

Though the process seemed lengthy to her, it only took a few seconds for everyone else, who stood slack jawed around her. She let out a sharp growl and they all jolted back into the motions of erasing the evidence of her camp. Legolas, she noted, gathered up the material on the ground and folded it away into her satchel, which was tied on Bill the pony.

The sound was a lot clearer to her now and it was a lot closer than she originally estimated. She bounded over to Frodo and, grasping his sleeve lightly in her teeth, tugged him over to stand with Gandalf and Aragorn, who had already begun to lead the way away.

Alissa, now that the fellowship had begun to disappear, focused again on the sound and began to pad her way over to it. She distinctly heard Pippin vehemently arguing with Gimli the dwarf, who had him by the scruff of the neck, that they couldn't leave her behind. He was kicking a squealing up a storm until it became muffled as someone had the brains to gag him. She let out a throaty chuckle before she leapt up into the trees to prowl across the branches.

And not a moment too soon for the beast with many feet soon drew to a halt right at the site the fellowship had just vacated and began shouting orders in a guttural language she couldn't understand.

She peered at them from her vantage point and slowly stuck her head out. Her nose stung from the smell of unwashed, sticky bodies and her eyes grew wide at the many something's that were running around.

She knew what they were. Orcs were prominent in the limited amount of books she had read but their descriptions had done nothing to do the repulsive creatures justice. Not one of them had mentioned just how _malformed_ they were, how big gashes in their faces and bodies were held together with giant metal clips or how the air seemed to thicken and the trees seemed to slump as the true evil of these creatures invaded their environment.

Alissa had to fight back the growl that bubbled up her throat when the creatures crude weapons started to hack up the older trees, their grabby hands grasping great clumps of grass and ripping it away from the soil as the Orcs started setting up their own camp.

Some were sniffing around the perimeter of their camp and muttered something in their own tongues to one another. Alissa would bet her existence that they had picked up the fresh scent of the fellowship trail but to her surprise did nothing more than stare in the direction they had gone.

Her attention was diverted to the base of her tree, as several Orcs were gathered under it and pointing at her. One began to speak in Westron to her so she sort of knew what they were saying.

"I has a greats way with zee animals, there ain't no need to go deeper into zee forest when we has one right here!" it began a clawing motions at her and gave her what she was sure he thought was a kind smile. As it was, it looked more like toothed fish. "Here's a kitty kitty kitty, sweet kitty kitty" it said I a syrupy tone. She merely stood and flicked her ears and tail at her before she leapt off into another tree, out of their sight. She heard its fellows nearly wetting themselves at her reaction, but it didn't stop the more intelligent of the lot grabbing a bow to look for her.

She had seen enough. Especially no that the threat of injury was greater. She easily evaded the orc and waited until it had retreated back to its camp before she leapt down onto the soil to hunt for the fellowship. Once she'd picked up the trail, which wasn't too hard to find, she began to run.

She dodged trees, leapt over gnarled roots with an ease born to those who live in such environments until what remained of them had faded away to reveal craggy stone. The grit stabbed tiny pricks into the pads of her paws and she sniffed the air. They sure had moved a lot faster than she had ever seen them before, covered more ground than they otherwise would've done and all with the help of some lumbering Orcs.

Interesting.

However it didn't take her long to track them, and that worried her. Especially when she noticed the wizards pointy hat bobbing just beneath the rise she was standing on.

She gave a short growl in greeting and they all stopped to allow her to catch up. Boromir leant down to her eye level. "SO Alissa, was it your imagination or was there actually a threat"

She bobbed her head.

He looked confused so clarified. "No it was your imagination or yes there was a threat."

She bobbed her head again and unsheathed on claw to begin writing in the dirt but gave up when she couldn't get her tenses to agree and just drew in the dirt instead.

She drew a tent like shape with a grotesque creature underneath it, she wrote many underneath its image. Granted she wasn't such a great drawer but she thought they got the gist from their shocked expressions.

But it was only when Boromir reached up to cover his eyes, Aragorn coughed uncomfortably and Pippin voiced, "So that what a woman looks like" to only be shushed by the others that her eyebrow raised.

She glanced at drawing. It wasn't that bad was it? Hmmm… maybe she was a better artist than she thought, thought Pippin's comment confused her.

She stood from her crouch and padded over to Gandalf who cringed slightly when she came close. Her eyebrow rose to rival with her hairline.

Gandalf gave a little cough and made to speak, but words failed him and his voice died in his throat.

Alissa turned to face the rest of the fellowship and placed her hand on her hips. "What is biting you all? If you can't handle a drawing, then how are we going to walk to the fire mountain?"

It was only then she realized that her thoughts had formed words and not the growls she was expecting. She glanced down at her body and looked back at the men who were still cringing behind their hands.

Before she'd left she been told by her father some of the ways of outsiders as he remembered them and the number one rule was that women were to remain clothed at all times. Frankly she didn't see the issue herself. As shifters, it wasn't unusual to walk around near naked at times, especially if one had been startled into shifting quickly and shredding their clothes accidently. As a result, Shifters often wore clothes that tied on in loose knots that would unravel when they took on a new form and barely covered what Westron's would call their modesty.

Whatever that meant.

She strode quickly over to Bill the pony, who shied slightly away from her as he registered her predator scent, but calmed when she stroked a hand briefly down his nose. She reached into her bag and quickly tied on her own clothes and swept her cloak about her shoulders. Once suitably clothed, she retied her blades and bag of dust to her hip before turning towards the fellowship.

"I am sorry, I did not realize I had changed."

With that she plopped down on the ground and began to start a fire, seeing as the Orcs had stopped and the idiots she was travelling with were not going to be able to pull themselves together anytime soon.

Men.

**Well yes I know it's been awhile but I seriously didn't know how to write this. Every time I started to write something distracted me etc etc but really as per usual no real excuse other than writers block. Anyways, hope you all had a great Easter and please feel free to leave a review before you hit that back button ;D**


	6. Chapter 6

The males in her company had been extremely awkward around her ever since the 'incident' as the young hobbit Sam often described it as. She personally didn't have a problem with it but it was getting annoying how they would wince briefly before answering her questions. According to Gandalf the Grey, they were hoping to take the pass before it closed up with snow.

Alissa did not know what this snow was, but she was looking forward to the 'snow' ball fights that the Hobbits were talking about. Apparently it was frozen water that fell from the sky and you mashed it up into a spherical shape and threw it at someone and, the best bit, they didn't die.

The Temperature was dropping as fast as the grass was disappearing from underfoot. The rocks were sharp against the pads of her feet but she refused to where the boots that Aragorn had given her. Why she did not know.

This question reverberated around her head the moment she saw the 'snow' capping the peaks of the tall hills that marked the pass. Especially when her breath began to come out in wispy vapors.

She still walked a little behind the others, but this wasn't because she didn't want to talk to them. She was still concerned by the presence of the Orcs so close to their position. She had been monitoring them from a distance once the others had fallen asleep and had begun to leave false trails so that the brutes wouldn't attack them in the night like some of the horror stories the dwarf, Gimli, spoke about.

The trails took her many hours in the darkness and by the time she returned, she had perhaps time to merely close her eyes before Aragorn was shaking her awake. As a result, her actions were slower than usual and she found herself nodding off whenever they stopped.

However, it was a small price to pay for not having your throat slit in the dead of night.

"Miss Alissa?" came a hesitant voice.

She opened her eyes and glanced down at Sam who was holding a bowl hesitantly in his hands.

"I bought you your supper" she took the bowl from him and gave him a smile, making sure not to reveal too much of her fangs, which she had discovered, were a lot longer than was considered normal in the outside world.

The hobbit twaddled away to sit next to his fellows who were all joking and laughing about something about a Green Dragon she didn't understand.

She took a sip of the broth. She had to give the Hobbit credit; he could turn their meager rations into a meal fit for the gods. The warmth travelled all the way from her mouth to the very tips of her toes and she suddenly felt as though she had more energy than she had had in the past few days.

She had only just finished her meal when Legolas plopped down beside her with his own. She furrowed her brow in confusion. "I thought elves only ate grass"

Legolas laughed, nearly spilling the hot contents over his fingers before he stilled it. "No, Lady Alissa, we don't. Where ever did you get such an idea?"

"Well, eat you don't"

"You don't eat," he corrected gently.

"You don't eat," she repeated before she added "All the time"

"No, but Sam always brings me a bowl before I go scouting"

"Can you really see so far?"

"Can you really hear as far as you do?" countered the elf through a mouthful of broth.

Alissa nodded and left him to his meal. A comfortable silence fell between them, which was unusual in itself, but Alissa paid no mind to it, her focus was on a funny sound.

She stood abruptly and moved closer to its direction. She could hear…

Flapping?

Her eyes shot around them. It was unusual for any creature to habit this area; she'd looked in her many wanderings but hadn't found so much as a smelly squirrel.

"Gandalf?" she said without looking at the wizard "Do birds live here?"

"Not that I know of Alissa, why do you ask?"

"I thought I heard something" re-assured that it couldn't have been what she had thought it would be, she sat down next to the elf.

She was startled by a sudden shout which rang in her ears, before she knew what she was doing, she had bolted up again and unsheathed her claws, feeling her yes turning to that of the cat before she relaxed and watched the Hobbits and the man Boromir playing on the ground. Aragorn tried to stop them and she had to stifle her giggles when both little ones grabbed him by the ankles and flipped him onto his back.

The levity was short lived when Gimli said something in response to someone else's question "Nothing, its just a wisp of cloud" and looked in the direction he was pointing.

"Its moving fast…against the wind" Boromir muttered as if to himself.

Legolas sprang up and shouted "Crebain from Dunland!" before he grabbed a Hobbit under his arms and dragged him into a hiding spot.

"HIDE!"

Alissa startled at the command and shifted. She raced around and hid under one of the sparse bushes that surrounded the campsite. She watched the quick commotion that was now the company. Noticing at the last minute that the Hobbit Merry was still sitting, staring at the impending cloud, she raced out of her hiding spot and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck. Without much ceremony she threw him into her hiding spot.

She stood there, watching as the birds came closer. She crouched when one flew over her head before she leapt and grabbed it with her paws. She smashed it into the ground and growled warningly at it as its fellows flew overhead, not minding their fallen companion.

It was a big bird, and it made lots of noise. She snapped her jaws in irritation at it and it fell silent, its eyes staring at her in terror.

"Spies of Saruman. The pass is being watched. We must take the pass of Carabahs," said Gandalf once he'd pulled himself out of the hole he had thrown himself in.

Aragorn came over to look at the bird she had caught. "Your not going to _eat_ that are you?" he asked.

She gave a slight snarl and felt her face twisting into a cat-like grimace before letting a question form in her eyes.

"I don't know. Maybe Gandalf has a use for it" said the Ranger

She plucked the squawking bird in her mouth then trotted over to Gandalf and dropped it at his feet. She then turned to look about for her clothes, not wishing to have another awkward situation bloom.

She couldn't find them. Now _that_ was humiliating.

She sat on her haunches as she pondered what she'd do next. That was when a heap of material fell in front of her nose. She glanced up and found Legolas. He held up his hands in mock surrender when her eyes narrowed. "Before you do your _I'm annoyed routine_ and hiss at me, I picked them up so the birds wouldn't think it odd that clothes were just randomly lying about in the middle of nowhere."

She sniffed derisively at the elf before she nuzzled her head into the hole in the fabric and, in one smooth move, shifted to her human form to string her arms through the adjoining holes. She grabbed her leggings and threw them on before pulling her robe about her shoulders. Once she was _decent_ she turned around to face Legolas. "Thank you" she said simply, before she followed Gandalf and Frodo who had already packed and where ready to go.

She looked up at the tall hills and shuddered.

She didn't like _steep_ hills and she had the nasty feeling that the magical 'snow' would not be so magical when it went past her neck.

**Okay so I know it's a short chapter and that its been a long wait, but to be honest I don't have an excuse except for that life got in the way and that I have massive writers block. However now that this chapter is up, the next one won't be as long a wait as this one because I already kind of 'know' where this is going. I hope everybody had a great Easter filled with lots of happiness and chocolate.**

**Please feel free to leave a review before you hit that back button :D **


	7. Chapter 7

**Yay! I have the keys out of the writer's block cell! I'm free, I'm free! Anyhow, enjoy :D**

After several days of travelling in continued embarrassed silence, they were slowly…. very slowly coming back to themselves.

Honestly, from the stories she'd been told, she thought that the men would find the sight of a woman's body to be welcomed like a breath of fresh air or pay no mind to it, however she was wrong, and she cursed the people who had filled her head with such witty tales.

She had also decided that she hated snow. No hate was too weak a word…_loathed_ would definitely be more accurate. Even in her cat form it was annoying. She didn't sink as far into it as the others and her path was cleared significantly for her by the soggy folds of Gandalf's cloak, but still. She didn't like how it seemed to envelope her feet, regardless of what form she took. She'd been forced to wear the blasted boots because of cold. At first it had been as fun as the Hobbits had said, but then when there was obviously no nice Hobbit mother halfway up a mountain to offer them some dry clothes and a warm drink, it quickly evaporated like the mist that fell from the sky to make more of the stuff.

Alissa was so busy venting quietly to herself that she nearly tripped over the ring bearer. She twisted slightly to the side to regain her balance and shot the Hobbit a look of annoyance. The hobbit however paid her no mind and was staring at the man Boromir up ahead. He looked, almost afraid.

"Why you feel that way Frodo?" she asked.

Her question seemed to startle some sense back into the hobbit that looked up at her with wide eyes. He seemed hesitant but eventually bit out a response. "It is nothing you need worry yourself over Miss Alissa"

Alissa gave out a soft growl. "I made strong words about protecting you Frodo of the Shire, but I cannot be of help if you tell no one when you suffer."

The ring-bearer said nothing but this time, Alissa kept her thoughts to herself. She had already spoken, and saw no need to say anymore. She understood his worry. The ring was calling to them all, she herself had caught herself sleepwalking towards the ring-bearer, claws out and drool curling down the side of her face. Not the most attractive she had appeared and she thanked the great goddess that there had been no one there to see other than Gandalf who had shot her a small, understanding smile. The image of herself served as a reminder when she heard it whispering to her.

However the others, she knew, were not as blessed or probably as vain as she. The elf seemed to be able to shake it off and the dwarf didn't really seem to care about anything much except his animosity towards the dwarf. What was with that anyway? The small Hobbits could sense it but it didn't seem to affect them either. What worried her were the men. They had some among her people, who had met and fallen in love with others of her kind and come to live within their society. But they had been outcasts of their own and strong enough to butt heads with their more animalistic mates till the fact they couldn't shift became a manner of perspective. These men she travelled with were strong, yes, but were too different from her expectations that she couldn't get a proper read on them. The Ranger seemed for the most part to ignore it as best he could, and often Alissa could smell faint fear coming off him when he looked towards Frodo.

The other, Boromir of Gondor, as he'd introduced himself earlier on the journey tried to ignore it as well, but he didn't seem afraid of it and that was enough to disturb the quiet of her own mind. Why wasn't he afraid of it? She would ask him later. They seemed amused by her questions and though she didn't like them laughing at her at first, she grew used to it and even began looking forward to the humor found in her own mistakes, how else was she to learn? The fellowship would need their spirits before this task was done.

She didn't realize they had stopped until she had nearly walked past a halted Gimli who gave a nod in the direction of Aragorn and the ring Bearer. He stood with his arm draped protectively over Frodo's shoulder.

They were both looking at Boromir.

"Why such a small thing in which we should suffer so much fear and doubt, for such a small thing?"

"Boromir" Aragorn said and the Gondorian looked at him, "Give the ring to Frodo"

It was only then that Alissa realized what Boromir held in his hand. The tricky little trinket had wormed its way into his mind and now the Gondorian seemed reluctant to let it go. She stooped down to the ground and began to bundle up some snow into a little round ball like Sam had shown her and threw it at him.

It smacked into the back of his head and his hand automatically went to brush off the snow in the back of his head. But the cold served the purpose Alissa wanted it too, for it bought him to his senses and eventually, slowly, he have the ring back to the Hobbit, who then tucked it up into his tunic.

It was ironic that everyone was did not share Alissa's hatred of the snow until they had to each carry a hobbit on top of their bags, up to their arm pits in the disgusting stuff.

Alissa was cold except for the patch on her side that Merry was clinging. She had just relieved Boromir of carrying both Merry and Pippin a short while ago. They were both soaked and shivering and the wailing of the wind through their sensitive ears wasn't enough.

Legolas, the annoying bastard, with his snooty elf feet and perfect hair, walked calmly on top of the snow, looking around while they all looked absolutely ridiculous. She wanted to trip him or something. Her sentiments were shared with Merry who wanted to throw one of their precious apples at him. "It'd be worth it for a laugh". But as the elf was their only means of seeing the path beneath them, they didn't. Stupid logic.

Conversation had been dead for a long while as none of them had ever been this cold. Alissa could already feel herself slowing down but she kept going before Merry's head could slip to far into the snow.

"There's a frail voice upon the air," muttered the annoying elf. Alissa, whose ears had literally filled up with snow hadn't heard it, but now that she concentrated, she could hear something, like the buzz of bees.

"ITS SARUMAN!" bellowed Gandalf. Rocks came tumbling down not long afterwards, burying them all completely. Alissa grabbed merry and pushed him up so he could breathe, but it took all her energy and she was too weak to push herself clear.

She blamed Gandalf.

She blamed Gandalf for the decision to go over the mountain. She blamed him for yelling and causing the snow to cover her head… she blamed…

Her thoughts slowed down to a crawl and what little heat was left in her body made her melt lower into the layer of snow. She couldn't hear anything now…she was so cold….

GIMLI POV

He growled in anger as he broke the surface of the hated snow. Dwarves lived _under_ mountains and normally did not have to deal with this amount of snow.

He saw the heads of others pop out around him, he was relieved to count all four Hobbits, and a little overjoyed at seeing that the elf had also taken a tumble and looked unusually disheveled. Every one was accounted for it seemed…. Wait….

Merry was scrabbling at something…perhaps the wee thing had dropped his sword…no…no sword firmly attached to his hip…good lad…what in Mahal's name was he looking for then?

"Help me!" the Hobbit cried to no one in particular. The other Hobbits were too cold to be of much help (Merry had been lucky that Alissa had produced a lot of heat, and despite the wetness of his clothes, had been at a comfortable temperature which made him a little more active)but he was small and his hands were doing no use. So it became up to the men to find whatever he had lost.

It suddenly occurred to Gimli exactly what he'd lost. He wasn't stupid, just had mistaken the pot attached to Aragorn for her head…. he wouldn't be telling the lass.

Gimli pulled himself out of his little hole and crawled over the top of the snow to help dig alarmed now when she didn't resurface, and they were faced with yet more snow to dig out.

He ran his hands over the snow, wishing it were the stones dwarves had an affinity for and cursed his luck when he found nothing…until his hand brushed over something soft and decidedly un-snowy.

He followed it when he distinguished it as the lasses hair, not wanting to pull it and suffer the consequences for such an action later.

He found her head and followed the line of her shoulder till he found her arm, which he grasped tightly in his hand before attempting to haul her up.

His first attempt was unsuccessful…and slightly embarrassing.

Her weight combined with his own had smooshed his face into the top layer of which had frozen around his visage the moment it happened. He could only grunt out words until someone grabbed him and hauled him out, probably taking several patches of skin with it. He shot the elf a look over his shoulder before he reached for Alissa again.

This time the men in the company helped him and together they managed to bring the girls head above the snow.

Her lips were blue and the normal golden hue of her skin blended in with the snow. Truly alarmed now, they rapidly dug her out and began to rub her arms rapidly to restart the circulation in them. She coughed a few times before opening her eyes, which were puffy and bloodshot.

Boromir, who was now carrying two Hobbits as well as Alissa, whom the Hobbits were trying to warm, yelled, "We cannot stay here!"

Gimli seized his chance "If we cannot pass over the mountain, LET US GO UNDER IT! Through the Mines of Moria"

Gandalf as usual, passed the tough decisions onto the Ring-bearer who voted in Gimli's favor.

ALISSA POV

After her newfound hatred of snow at the cause of the Mountain, Alissa was a bit reluctant to travel under said mountain. Surely, there would be something more horrible there. Gimli had been quick to rectify her. "No no Alissa, my home is underground and there is definitely no snow, unless we left one of the outer cavern windows open…" he muttered a little, obviously an old grudge he remembered "But we are going to Moria, the home of my cousin Balin and there will be lots of food and song enough to even make our stoic elf friend as merry as Meriadoc himself!"

Alissa was pacified and somehow found more energy to make the journey.

They soon stood in front of a huge rock. Alissa was most disappointed until Gandalf muttered something about the moon and, to her shock; a door now flowed across the rock.

The wizard stood impressively in front of the doors with his staff raised and mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like 'I like my tongue' which shockingly enough didn't do anything. Alissa turned away so her smile wouldn't be noticed.

Legolas, unknown to her did, and he couldn't help but think that she should smile more often.

**Okay, the next chapter….phewww… Anyhooo hope you enjoy :D**

**Pssssst! There's a button down there! Just tap it once before you hit that back button okay? :D**


	8. Chapter 8

It took a long time, sitting on cold, smooth stone, for another voice to speak up and help the wizard. You could hardly blame them, wizards were supposed to know everything and it didn't help that the one time someone did, who happened to be Pippin, got a harsh rebuke. In this time, the others had wandered off to do their own thing. Alissa herself was rather enjoying the wait. It was good to rest her feet for more than a few minutes at a time. Also she found herself speaking with a surprisingly patient Boromir, who didn't correct her as often as the others did when she made a minor mistake.

He spoke of his home, a huge village of stone the color of petrified leaves. They had many warriors who were often away from home for long periods of time, fighting in a war that had been going on for much longer than anyone had originally thought. It was in this time that Alissa realized why there was so much tension between Aragorn and Boromir. Boromir had been leading his people during the hard times, whereas Aragorn had been, as Boromir had put it, had been living in the shadows, scared, afraid….alone.

Just because she understood it, didn't mean she agreed with him and she made it a point to say it as well as she could, to this man of Gondor who was as far away from his home as she was. Of course, being the man he was, and natural curiosity, their talk soon turned to her home and culture. She explained to him that they lived in the trees, a fact he had laughed about until she pointed out to him that it was equally laughable for one to live in stone. Stone had no life, no feeling, it could be rebuilt yes, but the joy in the growing wasn't the same as one who lived amongst nature.

The curiosity she had expected, but she hadn't expected her own readiness to explain the ways of her people to outsiders, even to the elf. Said elf was now watching her in that quiet way of his. To tell the truth it was freaking her out to the point where she was indecisive as to whether she should fight or run away from those eyes, those impossibly blue eyes.

She shook herself free of his gaze and turned back to Boromir who was watching her intently. "What is your business with the elf?" he asked finally after a lengthy pause.

She pondered for a moment, knowing that that comment had caught most of the fellowships attention although they tried hard to hide it. Gandalf even hid a smile behind a thick wall of puffed smoke.

"What do you know of Yor?" she asked him finally.

"You cannot answer a question with another question Alissa, however I know very little except that it was a city of your kind which fell to an unknown catastrophe. I always thought it was war" the end of his sentence trailed of into a questioning note.

Alissa turned her thoughts inward and spoke them aloud. "In a way, it would have been kinder if it had been war, you understand?" she asked and when he shook his head she continued. "In a war there is someone to hate, something to work for, I don't like war but at least I could explain it better" she paused and let out a breath. "All we could explain it as a great _melderfro…" _she looked at Gandalf to help with the translation and he grunted "flood."

Smiling at him in thanks she continued. "All I remember is the sky going dark, screaming behind me: both animal and voices, the warmth of my father and feeling nothing but cold." Breathe again slowly to calm her racing heart as it responded to the memories of a much younger girl. Who should've feared nothing but the irrational fears of young exposed to so little. "A hiss and the smell of old air and a sight I still wish I could forget. A large wall of water rolling about my home with so much death…I remember being so cold, cold and sad"

"What do you mean you remember?" piped up Pippin "That would make you grander than the Old Took and that is very old if you don't mind me saying."

"The shifters don't live as long as the elves, but they live longer than most pther free peoples" Said Gandalf as he stood and cracked the tense muscles in his back before saying with a sterner glare "And it is not wise to comment on the age of any woman, regardless of race."

"I am young for my people, my animal is still the size of a normal cat whereas people as wise as my father are taller in their animals than they are as people"

"But that still doesn't answer the question regarding the elf" stated Gimli.

Alissa stared at the ground. "I do not know. My father had no one to hate and so hated the elves who stood and watched as Yor fell, I know they could have done very little but still, there is that deep anger of them in the very bones of my own folk that it's hard for me to decide." She looked at Legolas "I don't know"

At this point, Frodo appeared to have an idea regarding the password. "It's a riddle '_speak friend…and enter'"_ he went quiet before saying, "What's the elvish word for friend"

'Mellon'

A sharp crack echoed in the deep rock and the moonlight lines faded, to be replaced by a deep hole in the rock.

The smell was the first thing to register with Alissa, foul and cloying like the soapsands of the poisonous river Igren that ran near the edge of the forest at home. Many animals had died there long ago and their forms were as common as scattered leaves. This was the smell that she smelled, and her hackles rose and the fur shifted under her skin, a glorious pattern of spots under caramel colored skin. Her claws snaked out of their sheaths and she gripped the nearest person firmly in on hand, being careful the sharp tips didn't pierce their skin.

"Aragorn, it smells of death" was the only thing she said, the simplicity of that statement however haunted them as they took their first tentative footsteps inside the mine.

**Oh yes, I know, its short, but I felt it was the best place to leave it and I know I took so long, but I had my French friend come to visit and so I had to play tour guide for her. I swear I saw more of my home than I ever would've done and my god New Zealand is beautiful. Sometimes I forget, it was nice to be reminded.**

**So anyhow, I hope you enjoyed it and feel free to leave a review. It's the little button below, you know the one? Before the back button :D**


	9. Chapter 9

They had lost the wizard.

The darkness of the mountain they had tried to pass over had swallowed him whole. The stench of mold and death the very fabrics that would stretch around his tomb. The decayed skeletons of fallen dwarves, his only friends and the fire of the terrifying creature of an old world, his only comfort against the cold.

Tears fell slowly from Alissa's eyelids and were absorbed into the cloth on Boromir's shoulder. It had been so quick and in her hind-sight she wished she could've warned him to not turn his back on an enemy so soon. It was the basic rule of nature, never believe your enemy is dead until its final breath had run away.

Boromir, rubbed his palm over her head in a soothing gesture before he responded to Aragorn. "Give them a moment for pity' sake!"

"By nightfall these hills will be swarming with orcs!" Alissa knew without looking that Aragorn had that determined, no-more-nonsense look in his eye and she knew her tears would have to cease. She pulled away from Boromir and wiped her eyes. She nodded at him when he gave her an inquiring look, before she rose unsteadily to her feet.

She moved over to where Merry and Pippin were, as Legolas literally had his hands full as he tried to restrain Gimli from returning to the foul crypt of Moria. She pulled the hobbits to their feet, before she checked them over to make sure they weren't hurt.

She put her hands on their shoulders and together they walked to where Aragorn had grouped them.

"We make for the forests of Lothlorien"

Alissa perked up slightly when she heard forest. It would be great to be safe amongst the trees again.

**A few days later…..**

Alissa ran ahead of the group with Legolas alongside her, both of them on high alert as they searched the impending trees for the elves they knew to be watching their approach.

Oh she had to give them credit, they were good at hiding, even if they were nasty smelly elves she could already smell from here. She wrinkled her nose and glanced at Legolas. He didn't smell nearly as bad. Did they really find it necessary to dump fake smells all over their bodies?

He caught her look and smiled, her having admitted why she was reluctant to go so deep into an elven city again. Surprisingly, he had taken no visible offence and had even laughed at her description of his companions scent at the council of Elrond. That moment seemed so far away now.

She snapped herself out of it and slowed down to a walk so the others could catch up with their slower legs.

They had reached the first line of trees and in the way that elves are want to do with their surroundings, she was stunned by the perfection of them. They were too straight and too artfully placed to be natural just like in Imladeris. She felt a smirk creep onto her face when Pippin said that they resembled the white fences of the Shire, whatever they were.

As soon as she stepped into the smelly forest though, she felt at home and safe and she could finally _see_ through the trees. If you've lived in a forest long enough, you can find your way through to almost anywhere. She shifted because she felt like feeling the moss and bracken under her paws and padded alongside Legolas, who also looked reasonably comfortable in his surroundings also, even when he was carrying her clothes.

She was curious of this elf witch that Gimli believed to live here though. She didn't sense an evil in this forest, rather a strong will which kept the trees rimrod straight and forever on the apex of Autumn.

A small snapping of a branch caused her to look up into the trees, just in time to see silky hair whipping out of sight. She smiled when she glanced up and found other such hiding places: a foot sticking out, a stick too curved and polished to be part of the tress, glinting eyes further away... A tug on her tail revealed Pippin who wanted to walk beside her. He curled his hand into her pelt as they walked, his eyes darting fearfully around him. Merry stood next to him, rolling his eyes in friendly amusement when she glanced at him in response to Pippins whimpering. She purred in an effort to calm him down and it seemed to work for a little while….

Until a sharp arrow pointed directly at them. She'd seen it seconds before the elf had leapt gracefully down in front of her. She just raised her head haughtily at the elf before turning her head away in dismissal.

"The dwarf breathes so loud, we could've shot him in the dark"

Alissa let out what would pass for a laugh for a cat. The elf could hardly talk, she thought.

The elfs eyes snapped to hers before they widened slightly. They stood there awkwardly for a moment before he finally gestured to them to follow him and, being good little soldiers, they did.

There were lots of tall hills here too but no where near as tall as the ones at Carabahs. The elves moved quickly, making it harder for the hobbits and the dwarf to keep up. Which then slowed the entire fellowship down and in turn really annoyed the elves.

It didn't take them long to reach wherever it was they were supposed to be going but when they did stop, Alissa sank to the ground and curled up about herself. Closing her eyes, she dozed, her mind still heavy from tears, both shed and unshed and her feet, weary from the many miles they had tread since Moria.

"Lady Alissa." She raised her head. The elf who looked to be in charge was the one who had spoken mockingly before. "It has been a long time since one of your kind has been seen amongst the woods of Lothlorien."

Alissa didn't bother shifting to talk, really what was there to say? She just flicked her tail in irritation at him and snuggled her head back into her forepaws.

The elf sighed a little before she heard him walk away. She relaxed, getting used to more than one elf was just too much trouble for her already tired mind. She shifted her paws slightly over the ground, enjoying the way the grit felt against them. Her tail soon followed, a long sweeping arc, small stones scattering. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep completely.

LATER

She was shaken awake roughly by Gimli. She hissed and spit but knew better than to lash out with her claws so just settled for arching her back and stretching out the kinks.

She padded over to Frodo, who was looking slightly spooked, and nuzzled against his shoulder. He grabbed playfully at her ears and pushed her head away in mock annoyance before accepting the comfort she had to offer him. It was strange, the ringbearer had become more and more distant from the others, a side affect of resisting the ring, she suspected. But he seemed more comfortable with her when she was in her cat form rather than her human one. Strange to say the least.

"Alissa, we must go now…" Boromir trailed off. Frodo winced slightly into Alissa's shoulder and Alissa gave a slight growl when the Gondorian's stare lasted a little too long for comfort before nudging Frodo ahead of her, keeping her body between the two.

What a surprise, there were more steps! Now wonder the elves were so thin….

These were long and spiraling, arching high into one of the great trees to a platform Alissa could just barely make out.

The air was different up here, away from the scents of the busy elf city. It was almost…pleasant, yes that was the word. For some reason, Alissa felt safe here…until her paw was stepped on by a supposedly light elf foot. She felt the bone crunch slightly and she hissed and swiped at Legolas who leapt out of her way almost effortlessly, the brute! "Alissa, I'm so sorry, forgive me …please?" he said as he looked over her paw. She let it lie limply at his hand for a beat before she unsheathed her claws and sunk them into his skin, the flesh giving way like butter did to a hot knife. Legolas yelped and sprung away. Looking at her with hurt eyes, he met her own in silence. She stared at him before giving a wink and continued on walking, the elfs hesitant laughter drifting up the stairs behind her.

About half-way up she walked next to Legolas again and opened her bag he was carrying. She pulled her cloak out with her teeth and threw it over her own shoulders for modesty. She shifted before tying on her shirt and pulling on her leggings under the thick protective screen. It wouldn't do for the elves to be scandalized would it?

At the top of the stairs stood the most regal looking people Alissa had ever seen, elf or no. They walked down the stairs, hands clasped and dresses (or robes?) floated about them like mist. She was so caught up in the beauty of them and the fact that they didn't smell bad that she missed what the male said. But the eerie way in which the female spoke did not go unregistered. "Gandalf the grey did not enter the borders of this land…." Her eyes looked so far away…"he has fallen into shadow."

"A balrog of Moria, for we went needlessly into a tomb" sighed Legolas heavily.

"We were not to know what would happen" Alissa reminded him "If we had stayed on the tall hill we would have died, frozen and the quest along with it."

"The quest you speak of stands on the edge of a knife, stray but a little and it will fail. You have eyes like your father Alissa, clear and watchful but they still have yet to see the horror that will be unleashed, to the ruin of all."

And with that happy speech the elf queen, for surely she was a queen, bade them to retire and rest. She noticed that the queens eyes remained fixed upon her, unwavering and timeless, but a puzzled note, Alissa was sure it was, remained poised in her perfect brows.

**Alrighty, another chapter, be proud be very proud. Alrighty reasons fr skipping Moria. 1. I couldn't right it 2. When I wrote the next chapter, this came out 3. I like this chapter.**

**So anyhoo, hope you like it and feel free to leave a review before you hit that back button. :D**


	10. Chapter 10

Something awoke her the next morning, although what, she wasn't sure. It felt like the trees, aged, old and understanding. The feeling you got when you stood in a dark forest you knew so well, the smells, the sights and even sounds, all familiar to you. But this presence was unfamiliar at the same time, and as it passed through her mind it left the faint scent of flowers and dust.

Dust was special to Alissa's people. It was timeless like the elves and as enduring as dwarves. The shifters had learnt long ago to utilize it as a weapon and it was this that Alissa tied to her belt, her claws at the ready even if the presence meant no harm. It was the way of the wild, to be ready and unafraid.

Being careful not to awaken the others and stepping carefully over an enthusiastically sleeping Boromir, she followed the scent to a clearing in the wood. The entrance, flanked by elaborate statues, seemed to light up of its own accord when she passed under it. Hmmmm…. creepy. There was no one in the clearing save for herself, but she knew something was watching her. In the middle of the clearing was an altar-like construction and naturally, she headed towards it.

There was something familiar about it.

Imagine her surprise to see it full of water and even greater, when it began to move although there was no wind. The water went black for a moment before it shimmered to reveal a glittering city with thousands upon thousands of people milling about, going about their daily business in the way ordinary folk did, a variety of different creatures stood amongst the gardens and buildings, some of them even Alissa didn't recognize.

She gasped. It was Yor.

The city she only barely remembered but still missed.

This…this was home.

But the scene, as quick as it appeared was even quicker to vanish and Alissa reached out half-heartedly into the water, her fingers only just brushing the surface when it gave her another vision.

It was of her and her father sitting at the eating table. They were eating fish and roots with a honey glazed sauce. One of their favorite, and rare meals together.

But their faces were angry and they were yelling at each other, the words nearly foreign to her now after speaking Westron for so long that it took a great effort to understand.

"…But father those people were injured!"

"We cannot risk revealing ourselves to the outside world, it is too dangerous"

"But father…"

"That is enough! We shall speak of this matter later"

The Alissa in the water cowered slightly into her seat, her father having never used that tone on her before now. The scene went on to show them eating in a tense and awkward silence broken only by the clatter of cups as they were dropped by unsteady hands. She finished her meal quickly before near running out the door.

Just before she reached it she was stopped by her fathers voice again. "Your heart has gone soft in your time here, not so long ago you would've slain them on sight."

"Not so long ago, the streets were lit, our people were learned and we had peace and prosperity instead of mistrust and fear" the girl didn't turn back to her father but merely stood, her whole frame shaking, hands tightly clenched, blood falling in the place of tears.

"The people are content" came the BloodRippers reply and he reclined onto his bench, no longer having the strength to hold himself up to eat any longer.

"They do not know any better!" Alissa whirled around and stalked over to her father, grabbing a cloth on her way and wiping it against his head, her hands a lot more gentle than her words. "We were once great father! So great as to be recorded in the histories now lost to all Middle-Earth. Now we live in a shadow life! Now we live in the ruins of Yor despite it being sunk into the sea." She dipped the cloth into the water again. "The kings of our past would weep to see how far we had fallen…"

"Alissa" The BloodRipper warned.

"…That we would stoop as low as to neglect the sick and hurt for the sake of our own pride!" she finished, eyes wide and glaring defiance at her father, "Could we not learn from them father? Become apart of Middle-Earths histories once more? Not just the stuff of legend…"

The BloodRipper sighed heavily "What they have to teach us, we have already learned"

'Maybe we need to relearn some things father…our way of life is dying!"

"Our way of life is preserved!" he thundered then more gently, he softened his tone and reached for her face, his blind eyes beseeching her. Alissa leaned into the caress. "Alissa, when you take the throne, you will understand. The time for hiding is for now, perhaps when the world demands we be needed, we will reveal ourselves…. but only when the time is right"

"Yes Ada" the Alissa in the water left the room and the image shimmered away to reveal another.

The earth was grey; nothing grew here except for the remnants of the old forest. The babbling brook, Alissa was so fond of ran with the darkness of blood. Heads bobbed above the surface, before sinking to join their brethren at the bottom. A lone figure stood in the middle, fire crackling from its fingers, burning the old trees whose roots dug too deep. The screams of the dying rang out and among them all, another figure charged at the fire sender before being struck down. His body fell until his face was visible…

It was her father.

Alissa screamed and jerked away from the water. She clutched at the edge and gasped heavily, heart-pounding, body shaking.

"This is what will come to pass should the quest fail." Said the voice of the Queen.

Alissa didn't jump; for this was the ancient presence she had sensed earlier and felt no fear that wasn't caused by the water. She gulped in great lungful's of air before steadying her breathing enough to respond. "…And…and will the quest fail? Is our work for nothing?"

"Not at all, not all is set in stone as the dwarves would have you believe but you must understand young Alissa…." The lady bent down to bring her to her feet. "…That sometimes, the future is dependent on the choices you would make, not just the choices of the Ring-Bearer."

"What will happen to Frodo?" worry for the hobbit clouded her tone.

"What all Ring-Bearers must face." She held up a hand to brush her own golden tresses behind one of her pointed ears. On that hand was a ring.

"But he is so_ young, _my Lady, so very young to be facing this alone."

"The fellowship is breaking." she sighed "Whatever secrecy this quest calls for is now gone. The dark Lord knows that the half-ling has his ring and will be looking for him. But it has not yet occurred to him that he will destroy it and for that…there is hope."

The lady turned her back and began to walk away, but just before she left through the statues she said, "I have enjoyed this talk Alissa, and you are very like your mother…." The Lady trailed off, a look of sadness in her eyes "She was my friend through the dark ages, I have missed her"

"You knew her?"

"Yes and you child, perhaps that is why Lothlorien doesn't smell as foul to you…" a look of humor in her eyes "oh yes, I know your thoughts dear one for they were your mothers also. I have kept Lothlorien the way she wished it to be, so she could visit me more often without a headache. She bought you with her when you were but a newborn…"

With this, the Lady then left, leaving Alissa more confused than ever. Why had the lady told her that?

It took her a second to realize that they had been speaking the entire time in her own language, especially when she returned to the campground and discovered the fellowship was awake. Legolas sprang up and gripped her shoulders hard. "Are you hurt? We heard you scream"

She smiled shyly, "Yes I'm fine"

Boromir smiled at her and said "Didn't think it would be that bad since the elf was there..." he trailed off, then with a more mischievous grin he said "Legolas here was ready to rip her apart when he heard you, Aragorn talked some sense back into him."

Legolas looked horrified "I would never hurt a Lady!"

The fellowships resounding laughter, echoed amongst the trees, completely and utterly disbelieving the elf's stammered excuses. Alissa just stared at him in confusion; she didn't see what was so funny.

He'd rushed to her defense and she hadn't even noticed.

It was kind of sweet….

To say the least.

**Rightyhoo guess what I have for you! A question I like to ask once I get into the story: **

**where are you guys from? (countrywise, no address' please, I'm not a stalker)**

**What would you most like to happen in 'Alissa'?**

**Would you please leave a review? (it makes updating a whole lot easier )**

**:D**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello to everyone from New Zealand! Wow! Thanks for all the reviews everybody :D Also, I have a little confession to make: I totally forgot (FORGOT) to actually edit the last chapter, so there will be a rewrite eventually, but I'm not going to do it now :D by the by: you made my day so I thought I'd update the next chapter.**

**ENJOY :D**

"And what gift would you ask of the elves?" asked the Lady Galadriel. Alissa shuffled her feet, her head still whirling from the brief mention of her mother a few days ago. Her father hardly ever mentioned her, the memories too painful for him to dredge up, so Alissa knew nothing apart from what she could remember of her.

"Truthfully, my mother back" she said softly.

Galadriel smiled and turned and signaled another elf to her side. This one did stink and Alissa felt her nose wrinkle in disgust as her scent flowed through her nostrils as her arms reached across her face to hand Galadriel a box. The elf let out an offended huff as she stepped back. Both Alissa and Galadriel just smiled knowingly at each other.

"It is not within the power of the elves to bring back the dead" the elf said finally. "And truthfully, I know you would not wish for it because you, like your father, know of the consequences of such an act."

"I remember my father talking of a necromancer several years ago. I've never seen such madness in his eyes, but before he could even get near to him, his sight disappeared."

"A minor cost on the scheme of things, but it served enough of a purpose to snap him out of his daze, I imagine." The elf opened the lid of the old chest and dipped her hand inside. Something rattled and chinked against the hard wood. She gracefully extended her hand from the box and gave the necklace to Alissa. "This was your mother's."

She recognized the scent immediately, it was near identical to the one that still clung feebly to the silk Alissa still had wrapped in her bag. It was beautiful in its simplicity, stunning in the way the force of nature had been bent into the bronzed metal, frozen, forever in time. The chain itself was so delicate that it pooled in the cup of the elf's hand and resembled that of a leafy vine. Alissa hesitantly stretched her fingers out to take it.

"How did you get this?" she whispered.

"Your mother was quite a …err…colorful woman, I believe she accidently left this on her bedside table on her last visit. She would've missed it greatly for it was the gift your father gave her when you were born."

Alissa turned so the elf could fasten the clasp behind her head. She felt tears pricking her eyes. "I have few things of my mother" she admitted, "The fall of Yor did not allow us much time to gather all the things I would've liked." She looked at her mothers friend as the first tear slid from her lashes. "This gift is better than any sword or magical artifact the elves could've given me. I just…thank you."

Galadriel inclined her head regally before cupping her cheek in goodbye.

A FEW HOURS LATER

Alissa sat in the boat, still occasionally tapping the necklace at her throat. Gimli noticed this and bent his head slightly to inspect the jewel. " I don't remember you wearing that before lass." As he moved he jiggled the boat too much and this caused Alissa to clench the sides, her claws sunk deep into the wood.

"Don't do that please" she said through gritted teeth.

"Are you afraid of the water?" asked Legolas, putting down the paddle for a moment to unhook her claws from the sides. Alissa just gave him a look and a light blush spread across his face. "Oh yes…." He muttered "Cat thing."

Gimli sat down heavily in the boat and it bucked slightly in the water. Legolas sighed when Alissa's claws sprang out to dig into the side again, leaving new holes, and picked up the paddle.

Gimli just grinned before the necklace again took his attention. "I don't recognize the make. Its not dwarvish, that's certain…" he asked with a questioning note trailing off the end.

Alissa bent her head, and tried to ignore the water that….was…..right …..underneath….her. "It looks like my father's ring so I …think, my people's make."

"Craft." Gimli corrected.

"Make is as good a word as any." Legolas said irritably.

Of course that started a whole string of arguments. "What would an elf know?' being chief amongst them. Alissa didn't bother interrupting for this had happened before and over far more minor things. And the arguments would always circle back to the same sentences being repeated over and over in her mind. Aragorn had told her quietly that they stemmed from the supposed original hatred between Dwarves and elves.

It wasn't long before the night fell and they were forced to tie up the boats and rest. Oh no, what a shame, Alissa thought as she looked at the stupid water. She could see all the slimy bodies of fish swirling around and playing in the currents, the twisted shapes of weed, the rough bark of old branches…. wait.

Legolas came and stood to her side, his eyes also been caught by the slow movements on the opposite bank.

"Its Gollum. He's been tracking us since Moria" Aragorn said behind them quietly, "I had hoped to lose him on the river, but he's too clever a water-man."

"What is he?" Alissa whispered back, a slight growl escaping her lips as the _creature, _there was really no other way to describe him, slipped out of the water, a pale shape awkwardly walking before it was consumed by the waiting darkness. She thought she could make out the flash of the creatures eyes peaking around the rock, but they quickly disappeared when it saw her walking towards the river bank, her own eyes flashing dangerously, more growls rumbling out of her throat.

Legolas placed a hand on her shoulder and turned her to face him. "A sorry creature he is with an equally sorry tale to tell. A victim to the Ring." Was all he said.

They all settled for the night, all except Alissa. She was too busy sitting at the waters edge, staring at the creature from across the water. Occasionally it stared back at her before it turned back to its reflection and began wringing its hands. She could make out few phrases from the odd babbling. "Why's she looking at us precious, why indeed…. yeeeeesssss…does she like games?" It was here that it would look up at her before its entire personality would change. "NO! Quiet, ssshhhh, precious…she would eats us, eats us whole…."

Alissa laughed softly at the poor creature, she had better standards fortunately.

A scuttle of footsteps alerted her to another of the fellowship awakening. The brief movement she didn't bother to see scared the creature and he slunk away into the shadows.

"My uncle Bilbo met him once in the Misty Mountains." Came the soft voice of Frodo.

"Oh?" she queried as she patted the side next to her. He sat down gratefully and pulled out the ring. She watched sadly at the fascination Frodo exhibited.

"It's where he found the Ring" Frodo continued, "Gandalf told me later that he has another name, one he has probably forgotten…. Sméagol."

Alissa couldn't imagine forgetting her own name and she eyed the ring with an increased tone of disgust. They sat in comfortable silence for the longest while before he spoke again.

"I like sitting with you" he said honestly.

"Why?"

"I don't know…I guess its because you're like Sam."

Alissa hoped not to be honest, Sam was nice and all, but fiercely protective of the other Hobbits but mostly Frodo. When he found out she could shift, Sam had taken her to one side and threatened her with several hefty whacks of his frying pan should she ever cross any of them. It was amusing but slightly frightening since she couldn't understand the other things he had said at the time.

"…You don't see a use for the ring." He finished.

"You're both right and wrong." Alissa stretched out her legs and lay down on her back. She ignored the way Frodo stiffened at her comment. "I see lots the Ring could be used for Frodo, it tells me many things, things I know to be untrue. I've never like liars and I don't like what I see it doing to you everyday."

Frodo relaxed but snatched his hand away from the ring guiltily. She didn't comment but merely returned her gaze to the opposite bank where the creature's eyes were just visible over a rock.

"Sméagol is a victim of the Ring's influence" she stated "And no doubt made him do terrible things. I would not like to see you like that Frodo, I would kill you myself if I ever thought you would fail."

"Thanks…I think" the Hobbit frowned at his hairy feet. "Do you think I will fail?"

"You would already be dead," she said darkly, her face smoothing to show no emotion. "But that's not the issue because I _know_ you will not."

He smiled slightly, but she could tell he still doubted himself. She decided to change the subject, especially since the rest of the fellowship were awakening from their light sleep to make the evening meal **(AN: they had fallen asleep directly after they first saw Gollum because they would seriously be tired after a day of paddling: D)**

Both stood up and stretched before heading to sit next to the fire. At Alissa's polite offer to help Sam, who said he would be in charge of the cooking because Hobbits had to eat a certain way Blah…Blah, scolded her lightly. She would've been offended had it not been for the smile on his face as he said it.

"Oi! Alissa!" called Pippin. He held up her bag of dust, directly over the fire. "What's this?"

Alissa felt all the blood drain from her face and she rose slowly as if to not startle him. She reached out, around the fire and quick as lightening, snatched the bag away from the Hobbits fingers. She went and sat down in her spot again before she opened the bag. She let out a sigh of relief before she answered his question.

"Dust"

"Dust?" he said looking bewildered "You collect dust…. like the stuff from on a mantelpiece."

"I don't know what a mantelpiece is but the answer is no."

"What is it then?" Merry chimed in now.

"Dust…is different." Said Alissa, not knowing how to explain it in this language. It had taken her a long time to understand Dust…and more importantly how to use it.

So because she could not explain, she sunk her hand into the bag and pulled out a single grain, its fellows whittling past her fingers in their rush to be the first one back inside.

It was blue in color and smaller than her thumbnail. She rested it in her open palm for a moment and allowed them to look, before she flicked it into the fire, an image clear in her mind.

A puff of smoke rose up pathetically compared to the small bang that sounded. Alissa concentrated harder on the fire until what she sought appeared. Cries of shock came from her fellows at the image of a great Cheetah loping about in the flickering flames. It was followed closely by a variety of other animals that all walked in a circle. A small kitten dancing between their paws. The animals were almost wearing amused expressions as they lifted their feet around the small blur in what was definitely a practiced motion. She concentrated a little harder and allowed the music of the day she was remembering to flow out into the clearing. It was uplifting and joyful but with an underlying beat that pounded through, power ringing in every note, the images in the middle moving with it until they fizzled out into a blur.

Alissa lifted her eyes to smile at Pippin and Merry. "That…was fantastic!" they cried.

''How did you do that?" asked Boromir curiously. He didn't like not understanding things.

"I hold it and I suppose it…understands me…what I want…how I feel…what form it should take."

Sam was just standing there with his mouth hanging open, his infamous frying pan tilted slightly, the eggs he'd found slipping to the side with a slurp.

"You're a…. you're a…WITCH!" he finally stammered but was smacked over by Pippin.

"What's a witch?" Alissa asked curiously. She didn't like not knowing something either.

"She can't be a witch Sam." Pippin said as if talking to someone dumb. "She hasn't got warts to start with and her nose is far to short to be a hook."

Alissa rubbed said nose self-consciously.

"Well that explains everything! Not the fact she is a cat, granted she's not a black one but still, and she is old, she just doesn't look it…."

"Sit down Sam" said Frodo gently, taking the pan from him "Your tired."

A beat of silence before it was interrupted by Gimli's uncontrolled laughter. It was infectious and soon everyone, except Sam, was clutching his or her sides. Alissa just laughed because of the way Gimli's face was contorting and changing colors in his mirth.

Eventually they sobered and Alissa was confronted by another question. "Do you know the animals in the image? Were you the cheetah?"

"Yes" she said, smiling. "My father was the cheetah"

"But you're a cheetah."

"I was a baby"

"Awww" Pippin teased "What an ickle baby-kins"

Alissa blushed.

"Who were the others?"

"The elders. My father sits at the head as our leader. And before you ask, they were dancing."

A frustrated grunt from Frodo and the smell of burnt food.

It was official.

He may be the ring bearer, fated (hopefully) to saving the world…. but the poor thing couldn't cook.

**Yay I explained dust, before she had to use it :D I'm happy**

**Okay: please leave a review, but only if you want to but just know that with the more reviews, the more likely the next chapter will be up :D**


	12. Chapter 12

They were back in the boats…. again.

They'd been travelling all day…again.

There'd been no talking, or laughing because of something or rather making a lot of noise that had sent vibrations through the ground. Aragorn had ordered the awkward, watchful silence.

And it was downright dull.

Alissa sighed…. again.

Legolas let out a light chuckle…. again.

Gimli snored…again.

She huffed and shifted slowly so as not to jostle the boat. Her fear of the water had abated somewhat in her boredom. Sure they had seen some cool statues, but they were the only exciting things the entire day. She reached for her satchel and rooted around in it for a minute before pulling out her comb.

She grimaced when her hair fell in front of her eyes and she could see how the mass amount of soft curls had turned into a matt of snares and snarls. Oh look, there's a twig, and a couple of stones from Moria, oh and there's a few leaves from Lothlorien, no wonder Legolas liked her, she looked like an absolute gem…

…Wait…what?

She pushed that awkward thought to the corner of her mind and instead thought how unfair it was that his hair had stayed perfect the entire journey while hers looked like a wombat nest.

She began to ruthlessly tug at her hair, making sure to keep as quiet as possible. Oh but it hurt! But she supposed that's what you got when you didn't pay any attention to your hair for six weeks.

Soon, the comb ran through without finding any more snares and the amount of litter at the bottom of the boat had grown.

Now she had another problem. It had begun to rise and cling to her body, she had to fight to remove her hands from it, but the blasted thing still left a few stray hairs in place.

She groaned again and puffed small gasps of air to blow it out of her face. She turned around to see Legolas, who was quietly laughing at her, the boat gently shaking as he made an effort to keep quiet. Her eyes narrowed and he held up his free hand in mock surrender.

Gimli by this point had awoken. This of course had nothing to do with the fact that he was near inhaling her hair.

"Having some problems with your hair lass?"

"Yes." She didn't bother elaborating, he could see for himself anyway.

"Have ye tried wetting it?" He then slipped his fingers into the water and flicked at her.

Her reaction was immediate, and slightly alarming.

She sprung away from the few droplets that had made their way into the boat and clung to the nearest, tallest thing about.

Which happened to be Legolas' face.

The elf gave a slight cry of pain, which was drowned out by all the hissing Alissa was emitting.

"Alissa, ge…off!" in response she clung even more securely to him.

"What's going on over there?" came Aragorn's voice.

"I…mut...ca…ge…er…off!" came the less than eloquent reply.

Aragorn had doubled back to see what all the fuss was about. A mop of hissing hair greeted him and he blinked when he saw Legolas' feet sticking out from under it. Gimli was just roaring with laughter.

So much for secrecy.

"Ar…orn…is that…you?" came the elf's voice.

Aragorn merely tied their boat to his. The bank was only around the next ridge anyway.

When they eventually landed, came the next problem of removing the still shaking ball of hair with Legolas' feet. Pippin tried finding her toes, but only got kicked in the face. Sam tried rooting around for her fingers with the handle of his frying pan, but couldn't separate them from the rest of her body, no mention of the frightening hisses that chilled his blood.

Frodo tried talking to her, and it seemed to work for a while. She even let go of Legolas' face and was now, less painfully, tucked up into his arms at this point. They still couldn't get her to let go entirely.

Boromir shot Gimli dirty looks until his laughter ceased and, alongside Aragorn, found her arms beneath the mop of hair and slowly pulled. She had stopped shaking now and her claws were no longer a problem and soon she was seated next to the fire, her face only just visible behind the head of dark hair.

Sam warily gave her a plate of food, but she didn't touch it, instead she cupped the sides of her face and ran her hands down the length until she had the wild mass held tightly in one fist. With the other, she reached into her satchel until she found a spare leather band, the old one having snapped several days ago, and tied it several times around.

At least she could see.

But now the fellowship were giving her strange looks and she growled slightly, before turning away to face the opposite bank.

"We should leave now" came the whispered voice of Legolas.

"No, Orcs patrol the eastern shore, we shall wait for the cover of darkness, where the senses in our group will be much higher than during the day."

'But don't Orcs work best at night?" Alissa asked softly from where she was sitting.

Aragorn turned to her and nodded. "Normally I would say yes, but Lord Celeborn told me of the strangeness of these creatures. Seldom do Orcs travel in the day, yes, but these seem to do so more comfortably than a normal orc."

Alissa nodded to herself before looking around, a feeling of unease growing in her heart. There was something not right here, it was almost tangible and restricted her breathing somewhat. She stared into the darkness of the forest surrounding them, and thought she could make out something, which upon further inspection, proved to be a rock. Chuckling slightly at herself, she picked up the bowl of food still sitting in front of her, even cold; Sam's cooking was good. She might have to get him to teach her at some point in their journey.

'Where's Mr. Frodo?" asked Sam from the fire. He was holding a plate of food, obviously intended for the missing Hobbit.

Alissa stood stiffly and made her way around the camp, sniffing around the other scents she didn't need to find him. "Boromir is with him." She said suddenly, having picked up a second scent. This was further proved by his shield, which was still sitting where she'd last seen him.

But it wasn't until she saw the anxious faces of the surrounding Fellowship that she realized something. The first pangs of worry began to pound in her mind and in response she walked briskly over to her bag and grabbed her small knives and bag of dust.

"Spread out" Aragorn ordered, "we will cover more ground in that way."

Despite the order, Alissa knew Legolas had stuck as close as he dared to her when she caught the wisps of blond hair in the distance.

Alissa looked at the ground. There were huge footprints moving at a slow pace across the ground towards the darkest part of the forest. She decided to shift, but not all the way, she didn't want to discard her knives and bag of dust, she might never find them in the forest again. Okay that was a lie, she probably would but she felt a little more secure in their presence.

Some strange scent filled the air. And she lifted her nose in response to it. It was Merry and Pippin, followed closely by something else.

Whatever it was, she didn't like that it was unfamiliar and she set off at a run.

The sounds of a battle were growing ever closer now, she unsheathed her claws in response, the cats feral nature beginning to dominate he psyche.

A third scent entered the fray and she identified it as Boromir.

She leapt out of the trees and faced down the most hideous creature she had ever seen in her life, and that was saying something.

It roared like a rampaging bull and charged almost exactly like one, its crude weapon clutched tightly in its fist, teeth bared in a feral grimace.

She bared her teeth at her own before she flipped over its head; barely missing the sword it threw up at her. A satisfying thwack sounded as the stupid beast knocked itself out on the tree behind her. She kept going towards the Hobbits, her eyes fixed slowly at them. Occasionally one of the things charged at her. She aimed for the soft part of their neck underneath their armor with her claws, using their curves to slice into their jugulars.

She moved fast till she was finally positioned in front of the hobbits, down on all fours and growling at the charging monsters in challenge. A challenge they seemed to accept for they too moved faster. She gulped, her confidence dissolving as she realized just how many there were. A hand fell on her shoulder, giving her slight comfort, before it fell away to grasp the hilt of a sword in both hands.

Alissa realized from the amount of armor on these creatures that her knives would most probably be of better use. It wouldn't do to chip a nail if she didn't have to….

She pulled them out of their scabbards in record time, half shifting in the process.

Her altered appearance seemed to give these creatures a slight pause. Her teeth were long and jutted out slightly from her jaw, her head was smaller, her body, unnaturally slim. A long tail flicked behind her and her cheetah coat was shifting under her skin. She wasn't exactly the lovely young creature they had originally faced.

She slashed; she kicked, head-butted (that one was a mistake) and rolled about her opponents. She in turn, was smashed, kicked, cut up, threatened and even thrown!

Her back crashed into a tree hard enough to make her see stars, the stiff bark, pushing past her skin to the vulnerable flesh beneath with an ease that frightened her. It was all she could do to just lie there and wheeze and try not to panic over the amount of blood she could feel slicking her hair into the grass.

Pippin and Merry were immediately at her side, but she could only faintly hear them over the roars of the Orcs and the horn that Boromir was sounding.

The last thought she had was this: They would be long dead if help didn't arrive soon.

She fell into the awaiting abyss.

**Oooooh, okay I did not set out to write this like this in this way. Hehehe three this's :D I'm not sure if I like it…..**

**I'm sorry about the next chapter, I'm afraid to say that it won't be posted up until next week due to family reasons and if it doesn't turn up then…. Then after the 25****th**** possibly.**

**IM SORRY! PLEASE DON'T THROW ANY FLAMES AT ME!**

**I am tentatively asking you to review the chapter?**


	13. Chapter 13

**Really quickly I just want to thank all of you guys for your support with this story….I just really appreciate it :D**

"Alissa! come now, you need to open your eyes! Come on, hiss at me, kick me! Do something please!" Soft hands were patting her hair.

"Come on Lass!"

She tried to listen to the voices, but it was like swimming through a thick gruel, and she found herself making very little progress. Just as she reached what she thought was a level of consciousness, pain fired up every nerve. Wouldn't it just be easier to sleep?

The voices turned to mutter amongst themselves. "Sam and Merry have reached the eastern shore" one voice said dully then grew incredulous, "You mean not to follow them?"

"Frodo's fate is no longer in our hands."

Wait…. Frodo, that name was important wasn't it?

"We failed, the fellowship has failed."

The fellowship was important too. Perhaps staying in here wasn't a good idea if things were falling apart.

She clawed her way to the surface of her mind and cracked over her eyes. "Light," she groaned "Too much light!" her head began to pound in time to her pulse, her hands were cramping and her back stung like it was being whipped by fire.

"Alissa!' the voice sighed with relief and she turned to face Legolas, whose face was too close to her own, she hissed, he smiled, "That's my girl."

My girl?

Pushing that thought to the back of her mind as it made her outrageously happy given the circumstances, she turned her head around until she found the owner of the softest of voices. He inclined his head at her, but seemed preoccupied by something else.

"What happened…" then with more rising panic "Where's Boromir?!"

"He's gone," Aragorn said heavily, looking out over towards the falls.

"We found you a few meters away from his body, underneath several Urukai, your ribs will be a bit sore I expect, he…he was struck down by several arrows."

She bowed her head to the ground for a moment before standing up, ignoring Legolas' protests. "Merry? Pippin" she dreaded the answer, for she already sensed the outcome.

"Taken by them, I expect to Saruman for the ring."

"But they don't have the ring, they'll be killed!" she shouted.

"Exactly, we shall not leave Pippin and Merry to torment and death…" he looked about their party with gleaming eyes "…not while we have strength left."

"Can you run?" he asked Alissa and she nodded. She was a cat, she could always run, and her body didn't hurt nearly as much since he had made her eat some of their precious Lembas bread. It tasted awful, but Legolas seemed partial to it, so said nothing.

She found her knives still covered in black blood and wiped them on the grass beside the bank, she'll do a better job later, for now it would have to do.

She grabbed her satchel and strapped it onto her back…okay maybe her back wasn't as good as she thought it was if the piercing pain was anything to go by. She could already feel the wounds beginning to trickle blood, but ignored them, what she felt could possible be only a fraction of the pain the poor little hobbits were feeling.

She looked over to the eastern shore and could very faintly see large hobbit feet trailing through the under growth. Good, Sam was with him. She felt a faint tug of sadness. She didn't even get to say goodbye.

She was just picking up one of the Hobbits abandoned packs when Aragorn's hand pushed hers down until it dropped it. "We travel light." He reminded her before walking away briskly, breaking out into a jog. "Lets hunt some Orc!"

Her companions whooped and began to set off after them. Alissa followed, but not with out taking one last look at the shore. She opened her mouth and let a howling yowl echo through the trees. The hobbit feet turned towards her, but she couldn't see their torso's to know what they were doing in response. Her heart heavy, she set off at a brisk trot after the others. They would be fine.

FRODO POV

We were so high up now and my feet kept slipping on the loose gravel. The ring was a constant presence around my neck, a reminder to keep going. My pack was heavy and bounced in its fullness. A fullness I was aware could diminish all too soon.

I must say, my spirits were high because Sam was with me and we chattered easily, but softly, about our worries and more importantly, what we'd do once we got home. Sam was going to be married apparently. I had no such ambitions; I just wanted Bag-End and Bilbo with no more danger in sight.

Suddenly a large yowl sounded with all the clarity of a village bell. Sam jumped about a foot in the air. I knew who it was. It was Alissa. I felt guilty about not saying as lengthy a goodbye to her as I had with most of the fellowship but circumstances wouldn't allow it. I raised my hand tentatively in a wave before turning and continued placing one foot in front of the other. I would see her when I return anyway….

If I returned….

ALISSA POV

If Alissa was anyone else, she probably would've keeled over and died. It was a good thing that she was built for running. The poor dwarfs labored breaths behind her sounded like they were numbered…. She turned around to check on him and was relieved to see him, bright red, but healthy looking.

However running was more difficult than usual due to her injuries, black spots occasionally danced across her eyelids, causing her to stumble on occasion and only but sheer force of will was she able to stand up again. Her pack rubbed against the new scabs on her back, cracking them open to release her life fluid in small rivers down her back. She was grateful that her cloak was black to hide the stains.

Aragorn squatted down and examined the ground briefly before moving on to another patch in the ground. Alissa frowned and sniffed the air and tried to sift through what she knew to be orc scent for the two small beings they had taken.

Nothing.

She turned around and faced the way they had come and walked a little ways over to a small outcrop of rock. She sniffed again. A small hint of butter and honey mixed with bread and dried leaves relieved her. They were alive for now; the scent was still fresh, not even a few days old.

"Aragorn" she signaled and without waiting for them to follow, began to follow the narrow passage through the rock. A scuttle of rocks shifted just outside her peripheral vision and she glanced up.

Of course the elf was taking the easy way and climbing over them. He looked down and shot her a smile before loping over another rock and disappearing from view. She could however still hear the light pad of his footsteps. He moved like a cat, she thought, smiling at the thought.

A rough expulsion of air sounded behind her and she continued on, not wishing to get in the dwarfs running. It was hard enough for him to keep up without having to keep stopping for his companions.

Soon she reached the other side and squeezed through the gap. She ran down a slight hill to meet with Aragorn, who was crouching, and Legolas who was standing guard at his side.

"Not idly do the leaves of Lothlorien fall" stated Aragorn.

"They may yet be alive…." Legolas trailed off hopefully.

Alissa sniffed the air again and smiled tiredly at the elf. "Their scent is fresh, less than a day ahead of us."

Aragorn nodded before yelling, "hurry!"

They began to lope off again, the hard ground biting into her soft feet. She'd once again disregarded the cumbersome boots, finally deciding that she didn't like them at all. She wished for them now, especially when she had to ignore the sting of the occasional rock digging into her feet. She laughed at herself, look at her, complaining about a rock when there were two hobbits missing.

"Come Gimli!" called Legolas and the crashing and crunching of metal against rock sounded, followed closely by mumbling about sprinting dwarves or something along those lines.

Something shiny caught her attention ahead and she sprinted towards it. She sank low into the grass at the sight. She grasped the small blade by the hilt and looked at it clearly. Light glistened off the metal, only interrupted by the dull brown of dried blood. …. Pippin….

She sniffed it and recoiled instantly. Glancing around she searched for more signs and was startled to see little droplets in a trail. Her mouth stretched into a grimace. The little hobbits were injuring themselves in the hope that they would be found.

A hand reached to take the blade from her clenching fist, gently prying her fingers away from the metal. She said nothing but merely followed the trail. "Alissa! Wait!" cried Aragon, "the tracks point this way."

She snarled and pushed forward. They could follow her if they wished, or the false trail that'd obviously been planted.

She heard them leaving her and felt a little hurt that they didn't trust her instincts.

After all they'd never been proven wrong now had they?

**Hiya guys…. How are we on this fine Sunday? Another chapter up, and we are finally into Book 2: Two Towers ! *****dramatic pause********* You guys have no idea how long I've been planning this one. **

**Anyhoo… feel free to leave a review :D**


	14. Chapter 14

Alissa was gaining on them, that much was certain. The cuts the small hobbits had inflicted on themselves must've clotted, as there was very little blood on the trail. However, it was still strong and Alissa was beginning to feel hope for their survival.

Her mind was now plagued with turmoil. Just how was she going to handle an entire mini-army of Urukai _and_ save them?

A girl can only do so much…

She stopped when she sensed that she was only a few hours behind them. They set a grueling pace and if she wanted to even stand a chance she would need food, rest and dare she say it…a_ bath_. She shuddered but judging by the way her wounds kept cracking open, there was too much dirt and old blood for it to heal properly. The Urukai would scent her from a mile away

She had stopped by a creek that she didn't know the name of…. hell she didn't even know where she was. The hills all looked the same, grassy and brown from the sun. With only a small tree as her companion. A tree she made good use of to dry the clothes she had just washed. She was putting off the inevitable, she knew that, but the water (what little there was) looked so cold and…and…._ wet_.

Stop it; she thought angrily to herself, just jump in! Now…. no not yet…now? No okay not now then…now!

Cursing herself to oblivion she forcefully extracted her claws from the dry ground and inched closer to the creek. She dipped her toe in and shied immediately to the comfort of the tree.

This was ridiculous.

Alissa sat down and pondered her situation. She didn't have much time. Usually at the prospect of a bath it took her several hours to talk herself into water. She sighed and raked her hands through her hair, wincing when she realized her claws were still out.

Great fresh blood.

She closed her eyes and tried to cage the cat in her mind, it protested and rewarded her with a slight headache. Her eyes fell on her satchel. An idea struck her. She quickly rifled through her bag and snared an old set of clothes and tore them into strips. She wrapped them around her hand and, without giving herself time to shy, thrust her hands into the water. When she judged them suitably wet, she snatched them away and grabbed the small cake of soap she carried with her. She worked it into lather and began to wash the grime from her body.

She was feeling immensely proud of herself…until she realized that she couldn't walk around Middle-Earth covered in soapsuds. She looked at the water again, hearing the faint pop of the bubbles and the slight sting of the concoction coating her skin. The smell of the forest was nearly overpowering her senses and she knew that if she didn't quickly wash off her tracking abilities would be rendered useless and the hobbits would die.

Her nerves hardened and she leapt into the water. Her initial thought was that if the hobbits could survive with the Urukai for several days, then she could survive water for a few seconds.

Of course those thoughts evaporated when she actually hit it. She let out a shriek and shifted beneath the surface. She worked her paws and broke free of the waters hold. She thrashed around for a few seconds before she realized she could stand. She felt very stupid.

She knew if she was human she would've blushed and she was extremely grateful that she was alone. She shifted again.

There was a cloud of muck surrounding her and she waved her hand over it to replace it with fresh water. She sat down gingerly and again began to clean herself with the strips still tied around her hands. More grime fell off and soon her olive skin was recognizable.

She felt she had cleaned enough and rose from her seated position, easing her cramping muscles with circular hand movements.

She near ran to the bank and lay on the ground to dry, forcibly sheathing her claws. Before she knew it, she was asleep.

LATER

when she awoke it was dark. The night noises had already set in as well as the cold. She shivered and reached over for her clothes. It took her eyes a while to adjust to the night, but soon she could see faint outlines of her surroundings.

Her night vision was not nearly as good as a normal cheetah's but then again she was usually sleeping at night so didn't really need it. What she had was good for what she used it for.

She felt considerably better after the bath and proud that she hadn't completely lost her cool and started crying like a cub. She grabbed some fresh bandages from her pack and slapped them on, relying on her blood (as gross as it sounds) to stick them to her skin so that they wouldn't move. Next she grabbed her clothes and dressed in record time. Grabbing her pack, she turned her nose back to the trail and began to run, wincing every now and then as her sores cracked open and her head pounded in time with her rhythmic movements.

The trail was now several hours old, maybe even a day now. She'd slept far longer than she'd wanted to but she obviously needed it. Her thoughts remained calm but began to whirl about in her head as the sun rose and the scent began to fade.

No…. no! This is not how this is supposed to end. She was forced to give up when the trail grew cold. She sank to her knees and gazed in the direction she thought they had gone in disbelief, and cried. Tears slipped gently down her cheeks.

She'd failed them.

SEVERAL DAYS LATER

She had done nothing but wander about the land she was now trapped in, no knowledge of how to find her friends and no where to go since she was in unfamiliar territory.

She cursed herself for the millionth time and prayed. Prayed that the hobbits deaths had been swift and painless, without torture or fear. The thought of them suffering nearly crippled her and she was forced to shift to better deal with the emotions.

She sat on her haunches beside the remains of her clothes and her satchel, alone in a sea of rippling grass. Her eyes slipped closed and she fell on her side, wounds taking their toll from the neglect she had punished herself with.

Eventually, her eyes had to crack open and let in a little light. Her awakening was in response to the faint tremors she could sense through the ground. She groaned as much as her current form would allow and struggled to stand on her feet. Her body swayed as though affected by a breeze and forced herself to shift.

She sat there, quivering, feeling acutely vulnerable when the forms of mounted riders on horseback charged up the slope towards her. She had no emotion left for embarrassment, a trait she hated to have since leaving her forests.

The man leading his group stopped his steed with a quick jab in the sides, pulling on the reins, till he and his company fell in a tight circle around her. She ignored the fact that there were spears pointed at her and focused dully on the man in front of her. His bearing reminded her of Boromir faintly, and again sadness pinched her heart.

He said something in a language she didn't recognize before he repeated it in Westron. "Who are you?"

She blinked and had enough sense of mind to not remove her arms that were wrapped tightly around her form to hide as much of her as possible. "Alissa."

"And what, Alissa, are you doing on the outskirts, so close to Isengard?" another thought must have struck him and his face paled before becoming flushed from anger. "Did you escape from the breeding pens?"

Breeding pens. Now it was her turn to look confused. She startled slightly at the heavy weight of someone's cloak, still warm from their body. A soldier had climbed down from his mount. Alissa felt tears pricking at her eyes.

"I failed." She whispered.

"What did you fail my lady?" trying to act compassionate in armor was not an easy thing for the soldier to do, but somehow he managed it.

"My friends are dead because I couldn't track them. I have no idea where I am or where the stupid elf is because I'd be able to track him no problem if it weren't for this _wind!" _ Her voice turned into a shriek at the end and the soldiers all danced their skittish horses warily away from her.

"Elf, you say?" asked the soldier and she nodded. He turned to his men. "I believe we have found who the others were talking about yesterday." He turned to face Alissa. "We saw your friends also looking for two men, hobbits I believe."

Alissa stood and grabbed his shoulder with one hand, staring straight into his eyes, and grabbing the edges of the cloak in the other.

"Tell me where they are. Did they find Pippin and Merry?"

The mans eyes turned sad and he looked out in the direction they had come. "We slaughtered the Urukai during the night, we saw no sign of your friends. The others as far as I know have gone to investigate the pyre we burnt them on. Apart from that I have no more knowledge to give to you."

Alissa felt her gaze harden. "They would appear to be children to your eyes. Do you make it a habit of slaughtering children?" she growled and she saw slight fear enter the mans eyes, even though the circle of spears pointed more intently at her.

"Of course not!" the mans tone was that of suffering insult. "But in the heat of battle my Lady, mistakes can be made."

"If they are dead, I hunt for you." She stated calmly. Feeling the prick of a spear into her neck and the faint trail of blood accompanying it, she shifted and many of the horses bucked and whinnied whens she ran at them. Shouts from the men around her were many and she could still hear them even as she charged away, following the scent trail of their passage.

It was the fastest she had ever raced.

**Well I seriously had no idea how that came out from what I had originally planned…oh well apparently this part needed to be told.**

**Feel free to leave a review before you hit that back button :D**


	15. Chapter 15

LEGOLAS POV

The Hobbits had gone into Fangorn forest and we had followed. The trees were old and angry, swaying and groaning without wind. I already knew we wouldn't find them but I kept the pretense up for the others sake. I wonder if Alissa was any closer to finding them, I would've thought we'd caught up with her now. The Rohirrim had not seen her and I was beginning to fear for her fate.

I searched the trees intently and caught a glimmer of light before it disappeared. It was an unnatural light and immediately set me on edge. "_Aragorn something's out there."_

Gimli tensed at my tone and Aragorn began to look around as earnestly as I was. Suddenly a shrub began to shake and we all focused on that, weapons ready, feet light.

But it was only a rabbit and a baby at that, despite its size. It snuffled its little nose briefly before freezing as it caught sight of us.

We all stood there silently regarding each other for a moment before Gimli's stomach chose that moment to growl.

I sighed and rolled my eyes, lowering my bow. I would not harm something so young, even if my own stomach threatened to growl in response.

Then the rabbit did something entirely unexpected. It began to cry.

Still paralyzed by its fear of us, it nonetheless had a fearsome set of lungs, lungs that no ordinary animal would possess. _Uh oh_.

Aragorn stooped to the ground in an effort to comfort the pathetic creature, even going so far as to pick it up and pat its fur reassuringly. He looked at me with panic when its noise level went up another notch.

He chucked the thing at me. Don't know what he thought I was going to do with it.

The baby stuttered in its cries and sniffed around me, wrinkling its nose in disgust and breathing through its mouth. It reminded me of when Alissa did it…

…_Oh _**(AN: imagine a light bulb ;) )**

"_Aragorn this is a child of Alissa's people." _I said simply.

My revelation was rewarded with a sudden vibration of the ground. Aragorn dropped to his knees to examine it. "Many footsteps, quick of pace."

"Oh I wonder who that could be." Gimli said sarcastically, having come to the same revelation I did. At my questioning glance he replied. "We all know elves stink Master Elf, its common knowledge now."

I refused to stick my tongue out at him for that was childish…but oh how I wanted to.

We heard the cracking of trees and the shrieks of many creatures. I turned to look at Aragorn, eyes wide. "RUN!" he yelled.

I ran, forgetting to set down the infernal bunny as I did so. The warm weight bounced in my arms, quiet and calm now that it knew it would be safe soon. Ironic little demon creature.

I didn't take us long to reach the outer edge and go past the burned bodies of the Orcs. Merry and Pippin would have to wait for now.

Soon we were traipsing through the many miles of grassland that made up Rohan. Gimli was managing to keep pace quite well, it seems he wasn't lying when he said that dwarves were natural sprinters. He shot me a look when he noticed the bunny. "Eh ye didn't think to put the wee rascal down?" he huffed.

"Bit busy not getting stampeded" I shot back.

Aragorn let out an exasperated laugh as he quickened his pace. The sounds grew closer and closer until we were forced to stop and face whatever it was coming towards us… and I had the feeling that they wouldn't be as tolerant of our presence as Alissa was.

ALISSA POV

Alissa had just come over the crest of the hill when she saw Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli sprint past her. She skidded t a halt and looked after them stupidly for a moment, wondering why they were running away from the direction Merry and Pippin's were last seen. She turned to look in the direction they had come from and couldn't help but smile.

Her eyes widened however when it seemed that the entirety of her people were stampeding in her direction. She turned quickly and began to scramble after her friends. She caught up quickly and again halted, causing a lovely dirt trail as she did so. "Alissa?" came Aragorn's whisper and she nodded briefly.

She looked over to the large amount of animals heading her way. The lead one had its eyes fixed of Legolas. Normally it wouldn't worry her but when she turned to look at the elf he gave her a guilt-ridden smile and held out the bundle of fur in his arms. She let out a sigh and grabbed the little thing by the scruff of its neck and placed it on the ground in front of her. The rabbit child turned its frightened face at her before relaxing against her side. The child part knew she wouldn't harm him, it was the rabbit half that needed convincing.

She again faced her people, all of whom were now slamming to a halt at her presence. All except for one who continued to charge, its horn pointed at them, large feet rippling from the power of its feet.

Alissa stood in front of her friends protectively, claws out if the need arose, mouth open in a fearsome snarl. Then, without warning, gave out a roar that rang out far and wide. The lead animal slowed its charge to a trot, bowed its head respectfully and, calling the rabbit to her side, trotted back into the sea of animals now surrounding the small group.

Alissa growled again and a hush fell across the animals and it wasn't until an older man stepped forward that the others were aware of the presence of unshifted forms. The man was old and blind, hair all but gone from his head, yet despite the pale surface of his eyes, his gaze was as sharp as the cheetah's in front of them. He eyed the people behind her wryly before turning his attention to Alissa.

To Legolas, Aragorn's and Gimli's surprise, the man knelt down as if he could see and grabbed Alissa by the scruff of her neck and hauled her over to him. Legolas, reacting before anyone else could blink, notched an arrow and pointed it at the man. Gimli let out a growl to rival an animal and shook his axe at the faces of those closest to him. The surrounding crowd of animal's and humans yelled and yowled obscenities they couldn't understand. Alissa just turned her head and shot them a warning look until Legolas lowered his bow and Gimli, his axe

The man merely raised his eyebrow before completely ignoring him and bending down to Alissa's level and pulling her over for a hug. The man mumbled something and Alissa let out a series of growls in response, her tone soft, nuzzling into the mans neck.

It was Aragorn who had the wits to kneel, realizing that this was Alissa's father and therefore, if memory served, king of these people. The man released Alissa eventually and straightened.

"Why did you steal the youngling?" the BloodRipper growled in Westron, his voice deep and commanding, surprising the company.

Gimli for some reason or other let out a whimper and the Blood Ripper's eyes snapped to him. "I won't ask again." He growled warningly. Alissa stood to her feet and walked into the crowd of animals, the way parting for her until she had disappeared from sight. The BloodRipper cocked his head as if listening to something.

Legolas looked in the direction Alissa had gone; she couldn't have abandoned them could she. "Alissa!" he called without thinking. The BloodRipper stepped forward until he stood right in front of Legolas. "I did not think I would ever smell the stench of your kind again elf…." He trailed off then looked amongst his people and said something they couldn't understand. The creatures all let what would pass for laughter as their king retreated to stand next to the Rhino, the small rabbit child dancing at its feet.

Aragorn bowed his head respectfully again before speaking. "Forgive us for trespassing my Lord, we were searching for missing comrades when we encountered the child and without thinking, bore it away when we heard your approach. We truly mean no harm to you."

"I can vouch for this tale," said Gimli firmly.

"As can I.?" said Legolas, also bending his head and kicking the dwarf to do the same.

"Your words mean little here elf but your tale is plausible. Now tell me who are you?"

"I am Aragorn son of Arathorn, this is Gimli son of Gloin and Legolas of the Woodland Realm."

"How do I know you speak truth? There is more than one reason for your path to come here."

"As I said before, we have lost our comrades and believe they may have crossed through your woods." Aragorn was beginning to sound impatient and the BloodRipper let out a humorless laugh before saying something to his people. Murmurs of disquiet echoed around the circle interrupted only when a figure pushed through.

Alissa pulled back to hood on the garment one of the guards had lent her and knelt in front of her father. She spoke to him in her native tongue. "_Father, don't allow your hatred for the elf to blind you to the truth…"_

Her father interrupted her _"Elves speak nothing but lies and you are foolish to believe otherwise."_

"_Ada, the elf has barely spoken a word, if you doubt his, trust in Aragorn. He has never led me astray thus far."_ She stood and grabbed his hand as it began to rise. _"Father! Please! Listen!"_

"_You would take their side? When they stole one of our own, trespassed, placing everyone you know and care for in danger?"_ he hissed.

Legolas had again, stupidly, raised his bow again at the Blood Ripper's tone. Alissa whipped her head around and growled at him till he lowered it.

"_I would Father…. the outside world has taught me much. I have met so many people who have been so kind to me…. and lost many who were dear."_

The Blood Ripper's gaze softened minutely, unnoticeable to all except his daughter and she took advantage and grasped his arm tighter.

" _If you kill them father, I will never forgive you and any progress our people have made will die with them. I…." _Alissa paused for a moment and gazed around her people. _"I would leave Ada and fight for their loved ones."_

"_What has changed you my daughter?"_

"Like I said, I have learnt much from the world and I would fight for them as if they were my own people. I would not leave them to suffer from the darkness while we stayed holed up in our forest like cowards!"

The BloodRipper sighed and finally lowered his arm. Aragorn didn't understand the significance of this gesture until all the tense readiness left the animals postures. It occurred to him that they'd been closer to death than he'd originally thought.

"_Father your animosity towards the elves must end…"_

"_Alissa…."_

"_Let me finish! Yes, they've made mistakes Ada, but haven't we also? We could have given our teaching and learning to others but we didn't…. We have also let the world fall!"_

"_We have protected our people and I will not hear you say otherwise!"_

"_Look around you! How much of this place do you recognize? How much has changed Ada? How much have we fallen behind?"_

The BloodRipper raised his hand and placed it on her shoulder, cutting off any further discussion. "Enough." He said in Westron, "I have heard enough. If you trust in these people so much then it is right your place is with them. But you shall receive no aid from us." He hugged his daughter briefly before calling to his people and disappearing into the dark embrace of the forest.

Alissa stared off at them before letting out a yell and punching the ground. She stood up and stalked around, kicking loose rocks and stomping on bracken. "He never listens!" she yelled.

"Um lass, pardon me for asking, but we have no clue as to what ye were saying."

Alissa rolled her eyes. "Welcome to my world." She said grimly.

**Well, another chapter here and it just so happens to be the longest I've ever done. I'm sorry for the wait everyone, I've been playing with it for a few days and I'm still not happy about it. **

**Anyway feel free to leave a review before you hit that back button ;)**


	16. Chapter 16

**A huge thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorite and/or followed the story, or me you guys are amazing. Also a slight favor: for those of you that are unaware, I have started a new story called Era, let me know what you think if you have the time: D**

"So they're gone now lass?"

Gimli was the first, as always, to break the weighty silence, aware that their cat-like companion was angry.

It was an understatement. She was absolutely furious.

The statement disguised as a question was the trigger to her reacting. She turned around and punched Legolas in the jaw; well aware of the gaping looks Gimli and Aragorn were giving her.

She ignored them and turned her attention on the elf, damn him, who appeared unaffected by the punch but she could see the faint lines her claws had left in his skin. She stood in front of him. "Why did you raise a weapon to my father? Don't you realize that you would've died!"

Legolas grimaced and shifted his jaw tentatively. " I thought he was going to hurt you…"

"Hurt me" she flung out her arms in exasperation. "He's my father, he would never hurt his own cub…good gracious didn't you see how the clan reacted when you took Rabbi?"

There were a few moments silence before Aragorn broke it. "Rabbi?" he coughed.

"Rabbi the Rabbit." Gimli added, a slight grin tugging the corners of his mouth. Legolas in turn added his own hesitant smile, Aragorn started to laugh that soon caused them all to burst out at the horrible attempt of humor. Alissa just stood there with a cold look in her eyes, stubbornly refusing to give in and keep her stoic expression. She succeeded when their laughter grew awkward and she merely turned around to walk into the edges of Fangorn. The others hurried to keep up.

The trees hadn't changed all that much. Their roots still dug deep into the earth and clung to each other till there were only small patches of ground clear of the spindly things. Alissa's feet were sure and quick, a complete contradiction to the others behind her who kept stumbling (Gimli), cursing (Gimli) and huffing (again Gimli).

She deliberately moved away from the scent of the clan, wanting to put as much difference between her father and Legolas. God didn't the insufferable fool realize how close to death he had been?

She wasn't really angry with Legolas and she turned to watch him when her form had disappeared from their view behind a well-placed tree. She felt guilty at the light bruising on his jaw and the scratches; angry about how unaffected he seemed to be from it, another feeling welling up from both. It again annoyed her that she couldn't put a name to it but it wasn't why she was angry. It was her father's complete act of not giving a damn for anyone else in Middle-Earth. He had full out told her that he wouldn't even try. Try to help those weaker than him, who needed his protection, because of fear. Fear of not being accepted, fear of losing everything again and no one else acknowledging his pain.

The other reason was that he hadn't accepted that these men, although from different races, had become friends from someone like her, hadn't realized that they were special to her, a being who had been hidden from the world long since two of them had been born. It often amazed her that Aragorn and Gimli were younger than she was, not that they knew that. Women, no matter the race, like acknowledging her age.

Alissa sighed and leant all her weight into the tree, closing her eyes and the familiarity of the bark biting into her skin…until the bite became a burn and she remembered her wounds. Sighing again, she stood upright and waited fro the pain to ebb.

She walked around it to find the others ahead of her slightly, they already beginning to call for her. She saw Gimli whack Legolas on the hip slightly for angering her and she smiled at his comment. "If I die in these woods master elf…I blame you."

She walked behind them, making sure the bones of her feet spread to fall soundlessly behind them. She startled them when she walked right past them, the dark of her cloak billowing out behind her.

She started sniffing the air hesitantly and picked up the scent of ent. She said nothing of her findings though it worried her because Pippin and Merry's scents were intertwined with it. The last time an ent had awoken had been on her 103rd birthday and he'd nearly squashed her because it thought she was there to chop it down. It had apologized profusely when her father had all but battered it to the ground.

"Alissa? What is it?" questioned Aragorn from his kneeling position on the ground.

She smiled slightly. "You always seem to be answering that question of me."

"Only because you are not one to volunteer information." He snapped.

She smirked again, a smirk that left abruptly when Legolas said something in elvish to Aragorn; followed by "the white wizard approaches…" a strange smell filled the air.

Aragorn's face smoothed and he raised his sword as quietly as he could manage, Gimli's axe suddenly became unhooked from his belt and Legolas notched an arrow. "Don't let him speak, he will put a spell on us."

Alissa's heart began to pound and she felt her claws inch their way out over her human nails. Her eyes became more catlike and were wide in her fear. Legolas nudged her slightly and she calmed instantly. Intriguing….

The scent became stronger and a light began to brighten in the forest. She turned rapidly and lunged…only to be thrown back into Gimli. The poor dwarf cushioned her fall while Aragorn and Legolas stood defensively over them. Suddenly Aragorn dropped his sword and she smelt burning flesh, Legolas loosened an arrow but she could not see it hit its target because of all the light.

"You are tracking the footfells of two young hobbits."

"Where are they?!" Aragorn yelled, reaching for his sword yet again.

"They passed this way…" the figure appeared to think, "the day before yesterday." He decided before his tone grew more menacing, "They met someone they did not expect."

"Show yourself so I know whose heart I rip out!" Alissa growled, still perched on Gimli's chest.

The light faded to show the visage of someone familiar. A familiar figure that responded to her comment in her own language. "_Whilst I value your creativity youngling, I would hope that you do not use that tone on me again._"

"Gandalf" all four collectively gasped.

"I am Gandalf the White, and I have been sent back at the turn of the tide…until my task is done."

"You say you saw the hobbits?" questioned Alissa.

Gandalf inclined his intensely white head. "Merry and Pippin are quite safe…. stop your fretting master dwarf!"

"Ohh get off Lass! There's a tree root stuck in my back!" the dwarf groaned. Alissa leapt off and helped him stand where he wheezed for a few minutes, clearly winded.

Once he'd recovered, he nodded at her, her apology being clear in her eyes and they all followed Gandalf as he lead the way through the trees, explaining everything that had happened and what fate Merry and Pippin were now living. It was a relief to know that they were safe after all this time.

Alissa walked by Legolas, almost shy to walk beside Gandalf now. It was rare that a person's scent changed so much in their lifetime. This person was Gandalf, but he was different on a level that surpassed a mere change of robes. It scared her and it made her forget momentarily that she was angry with the elf, who was enjoying too much the way in which her hand clung to his arm.

**I have no excuse for the late update: I hope you forgive me. Now for bragging rights. Guess who saw the hobbit cast at Armageddon in Wellington last weekend? That's right me! Oh I'm on cloud nine!**

**It was a shame that Richard Armitage and Martin freeman were not there also but to be honest they would have quite frankly been mugged by all the crazed fans that were there. Security had a hard enough time controlling the crowd when Aiden Turner and Dean O'Gorman walked through!**

**Anyhow I'm happy: I hope you are all happy and again I'm sorry for not updating. I became more of a reader than a writer for a while but I thought I should update at least once before exams next week.**

**Please leave a review before you hit that back button :D**


	17. Chapter 17

Alissa's thoughts drifted as she rode behind Legolas. The others had forgotten to mention that they had acquired horses from Eomer, the man Alissa had threatened. She felt she wasn't making a good impression on the rest of Middle Earth and had resolved to hold her tongue (despite how easy it was to insult people in this language) so she didn't offend anyone else who was potentially important.

The horse didn't like her, that much was obvious and she was sure that if she hadn't ridden with Legolas, she would've either been thrown off of kicked in the face before she had even gotten near it. Stupid animal who couldn't talk.

It wasn't comfortable either, she didn't know how poor Gimli was faring, since the poor dwarf could barely hang his legs over the side, but since she was in pain and positive that she had blisters, he must be in agony.

Soon out of the grassy plains rose a huge wooden structure. This was Rohan she assumed. It was a huge village and she could tell from here that their people by far outnumbered her own. She wondered if they would like her.

Alissa scoffed at herself, nuzzling into the back of Legolas. His scent was most pleasant and comforting. Why should she care? She was Alissa, daughter of the great BloodRipper, King of the remainder of Yor…

But those titles count for nothing here, a snide voice in the back of her mind said. She squashed it immediately, mentally inventing a cage with a sturdy clasp on it so it wouldn't fill her with doubt. So what if this was the largest populace of humans she had come across. So what if this was unfamiliar territory. She had made it across more of Middle-Earth than any of her people had done for centuries, and made friends in Aragorn and Boromir… and mourned.

They made it to the city gates that were for some reason open. Alissa frowned. Why build a wall if you were just going to leave the gates open? Didn't the people know of the great shadow?

"Legolas?" she mumbled. "Why are the great doors open?"

His head turned as much as it could to look at her briefly before looking ahead as they wandered through the city. "Gandalf spoke of the Wizard Saruman's grip on the King of Rohan growing firm. Perhaps this is the clearest proof we will receive until we meet with the king himself."

She looked about, awed and excited despite the trouble, and stared about her. The homes were made from wood and animal hide, just like her village but they were square shaped rather than rounded. Her smile faded once she saw the people. Cubs were grubby and lethargic, clinging to their mothers and not engaged in play. The men and women were equally unkempt and had a defeated air about them that made Alissa want to growl.

She felt one rumbling in her chest and Legolas took one of the hands she held around his waist and squeezed it until it subsided.

The horse shifted its bulk to a stop at Legolas' command and Alissa's eyes were greeted with a massive structure. They had apparently walked up so slight a slope that Alissa hadn't realize that they were on a hill until she found she could see everything outside the walls.

They walked up the great steps of stone and stood in front of the huge doors. These ones, Alissa noted, were closed. This was not a king who listened to his people.

A red haired man with two armored guards approached them. Alissa was fascinated by the way the armor clinked and clacked as the men shuffled forward. Did it really protect them from a sword or arrow?

She was staring at the men in fascination that they began to fidget slightly until a discreet nudge from Gimli caused her to look away. She had been so focused that she had missed what the man directly in front of them had said.

"You are not permitted to enter the presence of Theoden king so heavily armed." Luckily he repeated himself and she watched as Legolas, Gimli and Aragorn reluctantly handed over their weapons.

The man turned to Gandalf and shot him an imploring look "Your staff?" the man questioned, still holding out his arm expectantly. Gandalf gave a low chuckle and said "You wouldn't part an old man from his walking stick?"

The man shook his head and moved back to Alissa. "I'm afraid that includes you as well my Lady." She raised her brows. "Weapons." The man elaborated.

Alissa shook her head to say she didn't have any, it would've been too difficult to explain that the ones she had wouldn't be easy to remove.

The man lead them into the hall. It was massively oversized, dark and the air had a slightly damp feel to it. She almost didn't want to inhale it, wary of the possibility of mold. But a scent filtered through her careful breathes that made her stand stock still in the middle of the hall. It was the smell of sickness. A potent, cloying smell that burned like fire.

Gandalf kept walking saying as he did so, "The courtesy of your hall seems to have lessened of late…Theoden King."

The king looked old. His hair was whispy and matted underneath the crown on his brow. His furs were thick and many, seeming to both serve the purpose of propping him up as well as for warmth.

"Why….why should I welcome you Gandalf Stormcrow?"

just how many names did the wizard have…? Alissa squashed that thought as well, she could not afford to get distracted.

The small sniveling man next to the king stepped forward. "Late is the hour in which this conjuror appears!"

"Be silent." Growled Gandalf. "Keep your forked tongue behind your teeth."

What happened next was a blurr. One moment she was focused on Theoden and Gandalfs interaction the next, her body had been flipped over a burly shoulder. She had landed on her feet and her claws had shot out for balance. Unfortunately it meant that there were deep gauges in the floor….

She went to slash him but the man gripped her wrist and twisted it behind her back. Vaguely she saw the others fighting in front of her. She raised her head slightly before stomping down with all her might on the mans foot, using her momentum as leverage, she wrenched her arm from his grasp and flipped to land on his back. She raked her claws down, the small blade like appendages parting the flesh like a hot knife through butter. She jumped off him to the next one who ran to help her first victim. She landed hard in the small of his back and he went down hard. She punched the next, being careful to not to damage her hand with her claws still out. She spun, ducked and skidded gracefully between legs to kick them in the buttocks and flipping onto her feet she let out a feral roar when one grabbed her leg and sent her swinging into one of the planks holding the roof up.

She grabbed on and panted. At least they couldn't get her from up here, the others had everything under control anyway, and Gandalf had supposedly finished his magic stuff since there was now a considerably younger looking king in front of him now. The smell had all but vanished, lingering only in dark corners.

She wrapped her leg over the beam so she was straddling it and looked down. Gandalf was saying something about air and swords…. Whatever that meant… and the little wretched man was being literally thrown out the doors. Alissa winced when she heard his body thudding down the steps.

Through it all Alissa just sat there, contemplating getting down but in the end deciding that she was better off up there for the rest of her life. She was just contemplating how she would get food and had just devised a genius plan about eating birds by going through the thatch in the roof, when someone cleared his throat. She glanced down again and saw the 'young' king.

He looked tired and sad. She lay on her hands with her chin hanging over the side and cocked her head. He smiled slightly though it was weak. "What are you doing up there?" he asked as he sat down in his chair.

Aliisa sensed that he didn't really care whether or not she answered so she didn't. She was concerned by the way he was stumbling. "Why such sadness?" she asked abruptly. Her claws dug into the wood when his face darkened and his fists clenched. She would've thought he was angry at her for asking but then she noticed the sheen of tears veiling his eyes.

"You are young, you wouldn't understand."

Alissa gave small smile. "I can try to understand if you wish to speak." She curled herself around the beam.

Theoden watched her before his gaze was drawn to the door. "I went to sleep in a perfect world…and awoke to chaos. My kingdom on the verge of falling and my only son…slain at the hands of someone I thought I could trust."

"You think yourself weak." It wasn't a question on Alissa's part.

"It happened under my nose and I couldn't see it, I have lost everything."

Alissa pondered for a moment before replying. "Not quite everything I think…"

They lapsed into a comfortable silence until a thought occurred to the king. "How did you get up there?"

"I got thrown up here." She glanced down and around the hall as much as she could. "I don't suppose you've seen my companions around have you? They just left me here."

Before the king could answer however, three familiar heads poked their way into the hall looking around. When they noticed the king they bowed and he acknowledged them by inclining his head in her direction.

"Alissa!" Legolas cried, relieved. "What are you doing up there?"

She didn't respond.

"…Are you stuck?" Aragorn asked gently.

Again met with silence. Until Gimli broke it with a peal of laughter which , of course, set everyone else off.

Alissa felt insulted and merely nodded her head mockingly at them while saying "Oh yes of course, laugh at the cat stuck on the beam and never mind how humiliating it is for her…"

That just caused them all to laugh harder, even King Theoden cracked a tiny smile however it soon disappeared when one of his men came through the door. The man was about to speak when he spotted Alissa stuk on the beam. His mouth opened but no sound came out. He shook himself and cleared his throat, focusing on the king. "Sire I have given the order, the people will be ready to move out in less that a day."

"Very good. Oh and Hamma?"

"Yes sire?"

"Fetch a ladder for the young lady on the beam…"

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed /favourited and/or follows this story or myself. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I promise there will be more action in the next one….**

**Please leave a review before you hit that back button.**


	18. Chapter 18

**I got attacked by a family of ducks today, I must say it was the strangest thing I have ever seen or run away from. I was just walking to the library which is like half an hour from the duck pond so I don't know what their problem was…. Silly creatures -_-**

**Anyhoo just thought I should update even though I should be studying…Enjoy :D**

Alissa couldn't help but feel shifty eyed and nervous as she travelled with the people of Rohan. She had opted to walk rather than ride that dreadful beast that Legolas insisted was a sweetheart, whatever that meant…. how could a heart be sweet? She'd eaten plenty in her time and that thought had never crossed her mind. She thought that the horse would taste as bitter as its attitude.

She'd been given a robe of some sort to wear under her cloak, the ladies had appeared scandalized that she'd walked around middle earth in nothing and had set to dressing her after she'd been retrieved from the roof.

All she could say was that it was brown, nothing at all like the colors that her own people wore and it swished about her ankles and left mild scratches on her skin that irritated her slightly…. so she'd made a few…modifications and made the skirt shorter and separate from the bodice. She hadn't removed her cloak since she'd done so that the old hags wouldn't hold her down again.

Humans, she'd decided, were among the strangest of creatures.

Bu that wasn't why she was nervous. She felt…vulnerable with so many women and children that her fur kept shifting under her skin, claws out and digging into her palms do she wouldn't frighten the young ones. She stopped and turned back to look down the long line of people trudging along. It seemed ridiculous that all the soldiers were centered on the king at the front; it wasn't him that needed the protection.

"My Lady?" came a voice from behind her.

It was the lady Eowyn, the niece of the king. All Alissa could describe about her was her beautiful hair and the strength of her heart that she could see shinning through her eyes. Alissa turned fully to face her and the two women began to walk side by side at the edge of the procession. Eowyn began speaking to her, just little things to start with before moving onto gradually more personal topics. Alissa wasn't required to speak, so she just listened until their conversation turned to her brother Eomer and how worried she was for him.

"…He could be anywhere and dead for all I know." She was saying.

"A few days past and I exchanged words with your brother, he thought I was mated by Orcs."

"Why ever would he think that? He'd always been a strange one I tell you I apologize on his behalf." Her voice was torn between relief at news of him but also exasperated with him.

"I had just shifted and was wearing no close after tracking my friends. I got as far as the edges of Isengard near Fangorn forest. I don't know how I ended up there or why their scent was all over it since Aragorn and the others followed similar tracks and ended up somewhere else."

They walked in silence for a few moments before a question began to burn on Alissa's tongue. "Lady, why do you humans separate your males from your females?"

"How do you mean Alissa, and its just Eowyn, I have little patience for formalities."

" I do not see any females dressed in this armor your warriors wear."

Eowyn sighed. "Because the place of a women is to stay indoors and provide for their men folk and produce heirs."

"Heirs?" Alissa queried, unfamiliar with the term.

"Children."

Alissa thought on this. "It is similar to my people also, but our men fear our mothers and provide for them since they can be fearsome and fearless when something turns their tempers. Back in the days of Yor, women were considered just as capable warriors as the men. The only reason that there are not more of us is that our race's numbers are small and their animals are quite timid anyway."

"So the species of animal can determine the personality of the person?"

"Yes, and no. I have a friend named Arsha who takes the form of a swan and is the perfect embodiment of the creature at times. My adopted mother Maris however is a tigress yet is as docile and as formidable as a sheep shifter although with more intelligence."

"I see."

Gimli chose this moment to charge in on his own horse, flailing around madly in the saddle to the point that Eowyn lunged at the reins to hold the creature steady. So that was how Gimli joined the conversation and they learnt a little about dwarven culture. It was different and it astounded Alissa that the women also had beards but she didn't see how people would mistake them since Gimli did say that their features were still softer in comparison.

Eowyn didn't have much to add and Alissa wondered what thoughts were running around her head to put the strange expression she had on her face.

Alissa bade them both goodbye and moved away from the group to stand on one of the ridges of the canyon they were walking through. It was the perfect place for an ambush and Alissa wanted to be ready in case such an event arose. She prowled along the edges, drawing murmurs from the few people who spotted her. Aragorn shot her a wave as she passed over his head and turned his eyes ahead, cocking his head at what the King was saying.

She looked around and could spot little through the large scattering of rocks. Strange how no foliage grew on this rocky outcrop, and there were no little animals that she could sense.

It made her already fraying nerves strain.

Soon the people had made their way through the ravine in the hills and Alissa was annoyed with herself for being confused as to why something didn't happen. Everything else that could've possibly happened had happened since she'd left home!

She jumped down, rocks skidding under her feet and she began to pad her way beside Legolas who was also looking around for anything unusual. He gave her a smile that she didn't understand but pushed it to the back of her mind and gave him a smile in return.

"What is troubling you Alissa?" he asked.

"You seem to ask me that question all the time." She sighed. "Its just, if I was going to attack the people then I would've done it in that huge gap before."

"And your worried because nothing happened?" he said, "Alissa are you feeling well?"

"Yes?" she said, not knowing why he was asking such a ridiculous question.

"You are a strange one at times." He sighed and began to walk away, leaving Alissa to stand there, knowing that once again, she hadn't been understood.

A hand fell heavily on her shoulder and she turned to see Aragorn. He must've doubled back since he'd been with the king the last she'd seen him.

"I'm worried about it too." He said quietly before he too walked off.

Alissa couldn't handle this tension any more and when they stopped for a short rest stop she headed over to Eowyn who was still leading Gimli. She was helping the dwarf down when Alissa charged over to them. Her sudden appearance made the horses nostrils flare and eyes roll with fright and it was possible that it would've bucked had Eowyn not been holding him.

Alissa went into the bag that had been given to her and began to strip down. Gasps sounded all around her and some morphed into screams when she shifted. She growled in annoyance and someone fainted. Gimli gathered up her clothes, trying not to let his muffled chuckles out, and shoved them in the bag.

Eowyn just stood there as if she was unsure about whether to be as horrified or awed by Alissa's display. The screams had alerted the guards and Théoden who were charging over to them. Some of them paid no mind to several stews that had been set up because they were knocked over by their horses. _How rude_, she thought.

She walked away when they realized it was just she, Théoden stopping his guards from causing her harm, emphasized by Gimli who also stood in front of her. She just yawned and proceeded to lick her paws, an action she hadn't done for a very long time. However she soon got bored and her nerves hadn't dissolved with her shift so she decided to walk the perimeter of the temporary camp.

She'd almost forgotten the power of her long legs as they ate up the ground, quicker than her human form would've taken. She was just about to head back to Eowyn and her clothes when she smelled something familiar. It was scary how that awful stench had become so familiar to her nose. She tensed, causing the people near her to look around in fright for the guards. Nice how they trusted her so much.

Orcs were near by.

"Cat." The king was standing near her, "Kindly refrain from frightening my people."

Alissa growled as she searched the area, knowing the orc to be close but unable to pinpoint where it actually was. She was searching for a glint of sun, be it on metal or sweaty flesh.

"What is it?" his tone became alarmed and she heard his hand rattling his sword. Obviously he'd caught on that she wasn't listening to him…..THERE!

Alissa gave no warning. She had been standing normally one minute and the next she had launched herself towards the scent of her prey. Her jaws fell apart in preparation for the bite as she landed beneath the orc before springing again. She used her forward momentum to push the creature onto his back before clamping her powerful jaws around his throat. The orc was dead before it had truly understood what had happened.

Alissa removed her mouth, tying not to gag at the taste. The blood tasted like a cross between mushrooms and garlic and smelt terrible. Like old banana terrible.

She was trying to spit the taste out of her mouth when she heard something behind her, she barely had time to turn before an arrow whizzed past her ear, striking flesh with a meaty thump. The creature, another orc gurgled and tried to speak around the arrow in his throat before he died, his last words unuttered.

It was then that Alissa had heard a low, challenging growl and she turned just in time to face a large, wolf like creature. It tried to circle her, but she was having none of it, not risking it gathering its strength for an attack she wouldn't survive and she rolled underneath its underbelly, narrowly escaping its chomping jaws, and raked it with her claws. Its innards fell out with a wet slosh followed by the blood that drenched Alissa's coat. She grimaced and stood when it keeled over to whimper pathetically. Legolas had drawn his knife and was on it before she could blink. The blade had entered the back of its neck and it died with little ceremony.

Alissa licked her chops as Legolas called. "A scout!" he kicked the corpse and ran to the top of the hill. Alissa followed him and she vaguely heard the sound of Rohan's warriors gathering themselves behind her for a charge. The noise was nearly drowned out by the wuffles and growls of the beasts heading towards them.

Alissa roared in challenge and some of them slowed where the more submissive ones stopped completely and stood hesitantly until their orc riders urged them on.

Legolas shot her a wry smile.

Horses charged past them. Alissa gave them a head start, not wanting to meet the enemy too early and be on her own because of her speed. She counted to ten before she broke into a sprint. She past the horses quickly and knew she could've waited a few more seconds, but that hardly mattered when she eyed up a wolf who was obviously the more dominant of the beasts, judging by the amount of scars and the sheer size of it. She broke past the line of Rohirrim warriors and jumped. She and the wolf met in mid air, she aiming for the jaw, he for her soft underbelly. She reached his throat and for the second time that day, it down on his jugular. She used the wolf's own movement to swing her lithe body away from his claws and stood on his back. She kicked out at his rider; her back paws pushing into his skin before standing on the empty saddle. The saddle was surprisingly soft.

The wolf died and she leapt off to face the next one. By the time she had killed her second one the battle was in full swing and the sounds of metal and the screams of the dying sounded. Alissa ignored it, her mind focused on shedding blood and working off the nerves she'd been harboring since they'd set out several days before. She ran down a wolf, tore off his rider and launched herself at its flank. It kicked her in the face and she tripped and rolled. She landed in a pool of black blood. She grimaced at its stickiness and by the way she slipped when she tried to stand. Her head was spinning and she tried to push through it but she was definitely winded on top of it all. A well-timed sword swinging through the body of an orc stopped her from losing her head and she nodded it at the King. She pushed herself to her feet and began to trot around, slitting the occasional orc with her claws as she went. The wolves avoided her when she passed, distracted by her presence enough for the soldiers to kill them. Their dying howls made something click in her mind about what these creatures were.

Pushing that thought away she broke into a run again and charged after a rider less warg. This one tried to kick her much like the other one did, but Alissa was a bit more wary now, knowing about the intelligence of these creatures and she ran fast until she was running directly under its belly. She sped up until her head was directly under its throat. She jumped and her head smacked into it, causing it to choke and in its moment of confusion, ran into another warg. Alissa managed to avoid the bodies somehow.

The warg's began to gradually turn tail and run, leaving their orc riders to whatever fate awaited them. The Orcs cried after them but they refused to stop. Howling stretched over the hills and Alissa felt her skin crawl.

She looked over the now relatively quiet battlefield.

Blood dripped into her eyes, it burned and she swatted at it but just ended up putting more in it as her paw was equally as soaked. She let out a light growl of pain and tensed when someone grabbed her. Coarse material rubbed at her eye and drew away the blood. Her vision cleared although her eye was watery and gave a toothy cat grin at Gimli who grinned back at her.

"Come on Lass lets locate the elf and Aragorn. I wonder how many he killed…."

He trailed off; muttering something about how he was older so would've killed more.

Alissa didn't feel like correcting him, not that she could without shifting, about how the elf was definitely several decades his senior.

The bones in her feet spread when the grassy field leveled out into rock, a common thing for this area. Legolas was standing at the edge of it, tense posture and gripping his bow tightly.

She brushed under his other hand that was lying loosely at his side and it startled him. Before she knew it, Legolas had knelt and grabbed her in for a hug. "Thank the Valar you're alive!" he muttered into her fur, seeming oblivious to the blood staining it. He definitely had more on his face when he finally pulled away.

He turned to involve Gimli in his next words. "I cannot find Aragorn." He gestured around the field.

"Can't be Dead." Gimli grunted his confusion. "Probably knocked out somewhere or you're blind." He left his jibe at that and began to call for the man.

A rattling sound made Alissa approach the corpse of an orc. It took it a while for it to register that the creature was still alive and was actually laughing. She growled and placed her paws, claws out, on its chest. It's laughing stuttered at the sight of the long length of them before continuing. Gimli placed the blade of his axe at its throat. "Tell me what happened and I will _ease_ your passing."

"He's…. Dead!" the orc spat each word before saying with great humor inflected in his voice. "Took a little tumble off the cliff."

Legolas grabbed the orc by his throat. "You lie."

The orc died laughing and with Alissa's claws embedded in his heart.

She wrenched them out of his chest and sheathed them; already wincing at the grit she would need to get from underneath them.

Something shiny in the Orcs palm caught her attention and she pawed at it until the slack hand opened. It was a necklace and she hissed as she recalled where she had seen such a jewel.

Legolas plucked it out of its palm and stood to look and see if he could spot Aragorn's body alongside Gimli. Gimli spun and beckoned Alissa over. "Can ye smell him lass."

She shook her head. This is where his scent ended and the water wasn't going to be any help. She assumed his body had fallen in the river since there was a warg situated on one of the lower ridges, dead.

"Get the wounded on horses" the order came quick and sharp from behind them and King Théoden turned to level them with a look Alissa couldn't identify. "Leave the dead."

Legolas and Gimli voice their displeasure about leaving Aragorn's body but Alissa did nothing but follow after Théoden, feeling her wounds and beginning to limp. Her face began to ache and she knew that under her fur she was bruised. She was certainly going to be beautiful with the blooming of black, blue and yellow on her skin.

She was scooped up by a random Rohirrim soldier and placed in front of him. She gave a purr in gratitude when he latched onto her body so she wouldn't fall off.

Her wounds began to take their toll and she fell into black oblivion.

She dreamed of wolves and punishment.

**So hello….erm, yes well I shouldn't have even written this since I am in the middle of exams but my brain was like, "I don't care you're going to be in middle earth for a while! I don't care if you have to study! You know I remember all that important information if you don't write."**

**SO I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter and was not to annoyed by the wait *****sheepish grin***** .**

**Feel free to leave a review or PM me with any queries, issues or even, I don't know to discuss the weather, before you hit that back button. ;D**


	19. Chapter 19

The walk to Helm's deep after the battle with the Wargs was a slow one with many of the wounded succumbing to their wounds. Alissa had tried to see what was going on with the last one, having quickly made a poultice out of the Dust tied to her belt, but had been shoved none too gently aside. Understandably she was more than a little annoyed. It was a potent mix, that of sadness, grief and annoyance. Fear was the dominant scent in the line of soldiers. It was just as potent, if not worse than her own mixed feelings.

Alissa was now cradling the now useless poultice in her hand, it was gritty like sand but thin enough in consistency to spread easily. She didn't have anything to place it in, so was just idly rolling it into a ball. She'd put a small amount on her own wounds, not noticing any of the remainder of the fellowship injured in any way however Gimli was puffing a little harder than was normal. It turns out he'd been crushed by two Wargs and one rider.

Wargs. It was not the name her people had for them, although it was one they used, however rarely. No, they were more inclined to use words such as Grave-Digger's and Traitors.

Wargs had once been like her own kind before they had betrayed the people of Yor and like the cowards they were they ran. The great powers of their people disabled their ability to shift into a human form. That inability had not stopped their wickedness, it seemed, since they had allied themselves with the Orcs and darkness.

Did they not care for the forests anymore? Redemption even? Alissa knew that although she could pity them, in the eyes of her people, they would never have the forgiveness they needed. That was their punishment.

And one of them had dared to thin out the numbers of their already fading fellowship by taking Aragorn away. She refused to let herself believe that he had passed until she saw a body. That was the way of her kind and so it would be hers. He was not dead, just unable to come back to them at this time. She hoped it would be soon, already, the king was beginning to make foolish, beginner mistakes.

They had few soldiers after the Wargs attack. Alissa wouldn't of been surprised had that been their intention the entire time.

Helms deep rose up like a hulking shadow. Alissa didn't like it. Even from a distance it looked cold and wet. Made entirely of stone, she could almost believe the king when he said that they would be safe there. However she knew that with the limited supplies they had, sooner or later the people of Rohan would be forced out and that would be the opportune moment for the Orcs to strike. Though by the way Legolas and Gimli were muttering away, she didn't think the enemy would wait that long.

They would need more men that much was certain. She pocketed the poultice, knowing they would need it.

LATER

"Aragorn?" startled by Eowyn's hopeful voice, Alissa just about jumped out of her skin.

She turned abruptly and strode over to him. Ignoring Eowyn's protest that she help the rest of the women with the laundry…what was laundry?

The man looked older than he should and tired beyond belief. Alissa grabbed him under his arms whilst Legolas took his other side and together they lead him to the king. Aragron's hands limply patted their own and seemed to put all his attention into keeping one foot in front of the other.

The king definitely had the best rooms. That fact Alissa didn't seem to understand but didn't dare question it. It was just another difference in their culture after all.

As soon as he saw the king, Aragorn seemed to find new energy, pushed their hands off and straightened his posture. He still looked tired, but at least he didn't look half dead. It was then that Alissa finally got over the shock of his appearance and began to closely examine her friend. The smell of blood seemed to ooze out of his clothing everytime he moved his arm. So, whilst he was talking with the king, she unsheathed one of her claws and carefully picked the shredded material of his top out of the wound. Aragorn winced and cursed but let her do what she would. She fished a small lump of the poultice out of one of the pockets in her cloak, picked the small hairs and crumbs that had stuck to it, before smearing it on the wound. The good thing about dust poultices is that it doesn't automatically sting, so Alissa had enough time to move out of the way before the wound on Aragorn's arm began to burn before abruptly freezing. Aragorn cursed and tried to rub it off, but Alissa shot Legolas a look and the elf, sighing, restrained his arm as gently as he could. Alissa then, cautiously, inspected the wound again. At least she didn't have to cut his arm off now, the dust would see to the infection however in order for it to work properly, he would need a bath, a new top at the very least.

"…ten thousand?" A combination of shock, fear and horror were laced in the kings tone. Alissa didn't fully comprehend what Aragorn had just said, teeth gritted and words sounding slightly strangled from the medicine. She felt herself blink stupidly for a few moments before what he'd said sunk in. Her mind began to translate the number into her own language. What it came out to be made her sink to a crouch on the floor, cold as it was.

"It is an army built with one purpose, to destroy the world of men." He turned to regard what remained of the fellowship . "They will be here by nightfall."

"Let them come!" The kings arrogant words made Alissa leap to her feet. However he was already spouting more orders to his men, terms Alissa didn't understand as she had never had cause to speak them let alone learn them.

"…We've seen it before. Crops can be re-sown….homes rebuilt….Within these walls, we will outlast them."

"Yor was meant to be impenetrable as well King," Alissa stated, "So why do I remember the sky growing dark, building's falling and the screams of my people."

The king looked troubled at her statement, but in the end disregarded it.

Aragorn then spoke up. "They do not come to destroy Rohan's crops or viallages they come to destroy its people…down to the last child."

The same children were hiding with their mothers in the caves, a cave with no exit should the orcs get past the walls.

Théoden grabbed Aragorn roughly by the arm although Alissa noticed that he was mindful of the bandages on his other. "What would you have me do?" the words were desperate. "Loom at my men. Their courage hangs by a _thread_. If this is to be our end, then I would have them make such an end to be worthy of some remembrance."

Alissa didn't want to make the situation worse by saying that there would be no one to remember them if worse came to worse.

However, Aragorn wasn't quite done.

"Send out rider's my lord. You must call for aid."

Théoden chuckled darkly. "And who would come? Elves? Dwarves? We are not so lucky in friends as you."

"Gondor will answer."

Alissa's ears perked up. Surely Boromir, who had grown to be a dear, loyal friend, his home, would send help?

Theéoden seemed to disagree . "…no my lord Aragorn…we are alone."

He wlaked off and before Aragorn could hold her back, Alissa trotted off to follow him. She wanted to know what he planned to do then.

His top warrior…Gamling she thought his name was….stared intently at her until the king stopped midway through his discussion and turned to face her.

"Yes….Lady Alissa? You must make this quick, there are many matters to see to before darkness falls." His tone was already defeated and Alissa's mind was made.

"King, you are few in numbers," she kept her voice low so as to not to be overheard. "My people are also few…"

"Alissa I don't need to be tutored like a child" the king interrupted her and grasped her arm, not unlike the way he had Aragorn's. "Unless you can give me an answer and guarantee that we will all live out the night, please my lady keep your comments to yourself."

"My people can help!" She called after him.

"And why would they help us Alissa. You, you are the first of your kind to be seen in nearly three centuries, and are probably going to be the last many of us here see." He rubbed his brow with his fingers, "I have no more time to give you, please, go."

Alissa huffed indignantly and turned around to find her friends directly behind her. Legolas eyed her face suspiciously. "And what has made that look on your face."

Alissa didn't say anything but looked out over the wall and to the ground, judging the distance and, without giving any warning, valuted herself over the side.

Gimli cried out and just missed her hands as she fell.

Alissa forced her body into a roll to slow her body's descent before straightening her legs. When she hit the ground, she allowed her knees to bend enough to absorb the impact. Obviously a bit too far a distance, she thought ruefully as she rubbed them quickly to stop the slight pain. She looked up to see many worried faces looking down at her. Legolas, she was shocked to note, looked livid. It was an interesting look on him to say the least. She wondered if he knew that the tips of his ears burned a brilliant red…

This thought amused her, and whilst it still settled about her head, she began to run, changing into a cheetah after a couple of leaps and soon Helm's deep fell behind her.

It was time her people came out of hiding.

LEGOLAS POV

I watched for what felt like the thousandth time as I saw my girl run away. I couldn't know her motives, I barely had any inclination of what happened behind those sad eyes. It wasn't as if she couldn't speak Westron to tell us, her language skills had greatly improved. It was just that she was naturally quiet, annoying at times like these when an explanation could have been useful.

"Oi elf!." I sighed as I turned to face the red dwarf, ignoring the smug look he was sending me for some unfathomable reason. "So I was thinking…."

"A challenging occupation at best." I said, giving him a smirk of my own.

He glared before twisting a piece of his beard in his fingers. "….I was thinking that the reason Alissa doesn't stay is because of the way ye' ears turn red when yer angry." He nodded to himself as if this made perfect sense to him.

I just stared in wonder at dwarven stupidity. "That, I believe is the worst insult anyone has ever said to me."

"Worst as in it hurt ye feelings or worse because it really was bad…"

"Look Gimli, I can't do this right now." It felt like I blinked because where the speck that was Alissa had been had disappeared. It made me disappointed. Perhaps the dwarf was right and it was my pointed ears that continued to push her away just as I thought she was getting closer. Normally it was the other way around and elven ears were the most attractive feature any woman could ask for. Perhaps I was wrong.

The dwarf was silent for a moment. "Don't let it get te ye laddie, the cat never leaves unless there's a mouse to hunt."

He chuckled at his own bad joke and I just sighed again. Perhaps it would be easier to just focus on the battle or rather, focus on getting Aragorn to rest so he didn't die so easily tonight.

**You know I wrote this chapter a total of seven times and I'm still not entirely happy with it. I have an overview in my mind on how I want this story to go, but I feel as if I may need a little help filling in the details. I have tried to put a variety of different ideas into this story, so I was wondering, what do you people want to see in this story. More romance (I'll try, it's not my forte so to speak ;)), Alissa's people, flashbacks etc?**

**Let me know.**

**By the by, this story has cracked over 100 reviews! Man definitely wasn't expecting that when I started this story. Normally I don't look at the actual number but today I was looking through for something to read (if you can give me good LOTR fan-fiction to read….) and I saw my own story, weird as it was, and was completely amazed by the amount of support.**

**So thank you everyone.**

**Please leave a review before you hit that back button ;D**


	20. Chapter 20

Alistair would be lying if he said he was surprised to see his daughter. He had heard the hurried frenzy of her paws long before he could smell her. He felt his guards tense then relax once they'd identified who was fast approaching their king. She didn't stop until she stood in front of him. A subtle shift in the air alerted him that she had shifted. A heavy swish of fabric settled around her naked shoulders and her small thanks in response.

"_Father." _She greeted hesitantly.

He closed his sightless eyes and sighed, a breeze rustled through his hair and tickled his cheek. He imagined that it was his wife massaging his temples as he tried to sort through his emotions. He felt his mouth twist into a grimace. Even after all these long years, he still couldn't believe that his light was gone.

But his daughter was here now in front of him. It was his daughter that had come here for a purpose, and he had the feeling he wasn't going to like it. He opened his eyes to nothing but swirling colors and the occasional blurred silhouette and directed his gaze to where her scent was strongest. It was difficult to force his eyes to remain steady for they had want to wander, distracted by things he couldn't even see.

He smiled at his daughter and opened his arms. It didn't take her long to leap up and be engulfed in his arms. She was such a slight thing and he was startled to feel her muscles tense in his arms. He pulled away slightly and sniffed the air around her. There was a cloying scent of fear stuck to her skin. He raised his hand to brush through her hair, only to be surprised that it had been bound in a long plait.

She pushed away from him and stood tall, his hands still on her shoulders.

"_Father, the men of the west stand on the brink of annihilation."_

He frowned and took his hands away to clasp behind his back.

Oh no, was all she could think, that was the pose he took when dealing with something he didn't find worth his time or energy. Not a good sign obviously.

Her muscles began to twitch when he began to turn away, as if she was nothing more than an insect… as if she wasn't his daughter.

"_Please listen father! I shouldn't have to beg you to help…."_

"_And why should we help them?"_ he interrupted her. _"Why should I risk the lives of _my_ people for them? We have no friendship with them! We have no alliance with any of the people you have been travelling with. Where were the dwarves, the elves, and these_ men_ when we needed them! Where were…."_

She couldn't help it, she let out a challenging roar before she could stop herself and when her father had fallen into silence in his shock she spoke. Though her words were spoken through a growl bubbling in her chest, she knew that her father and the people around them heard every word. Never in all her life had her people been so collectively silent.

"_Your hatred," _she hissed, _"and your grief over what happened several centuries ago has begun to poison your rule. Why should you help them? Perhaps you should help them because they didn't help you. Become the stronger being, show them what our people can do."_

She turned to gaze at the familiar faces around her, at the trees that surrounded them, the home that had been built to be hidden from the world.

" _I am the first to have left since Yor fell…and found nothing of the horrible world described to me for as long as I can remember. And I found something quite remarkable. We have become so terrified of the world that it has changed without us. We are the people of change!"_

She paused to collect her thoughts before directing her gaze at her father, narrowing her eyes at him and he began to fidget, knowing her gaze was on him.

"_You ask me to give you a reason to help them father, you ask me when there is darkness descending on the wood, when the elves asked for your presence at the secret council, when I, your daughter, come to you with news of my friends requiring the aid of my people!"_

Against her will she felt tears pricking the corners of her eyes and wiped them away in fury. "_The time for hiding is ending, now I have one question for you father…"_

Alistair had never heard such a tone in his daughters voice before. It intrigued him; it was almost like he was 'looking' through a warped mirror, she reflecting him, back when there had been a light in his life…

"_In a fight for Middle-Earth…. Would you let them stand alone?"_

**Okay no beating around the bush, this is by far the shortest chapter of the entire story, but I felt the need to end it there. **

**On another note, the next installment will be sooner since I am now officially on exam break! Can anybody spell freedom?**

**Anyhoo, I'm not expecting many reviews for this chapter but as usual, feel free to leave a review before you hit that back button ;D**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I own LOTR films, books and a variety of merchandise that I probably didn't need, however I can only hold a true claim to Alissa and her people.**

The night was blue; enveloping everything in its blanket until it seemed the stars normally friendly glow was dimmed. Although, that was only evident in the parts of the sky you could see. The rest was positively smothered under a layer of thick black cloud. From here Alissa could see flashes of sky-fire hanging over in the direction of Helm's deep.

She hoped it fried the Orcs.

She fought against her instincts to run the other way, her cat saying that it was a legitimate excuse to not participate in the battle, but she hadn't come all this way to run like a coward, nor had the three hundred warriors and their king.

A boom of a thunder battle followed a flash of flame.

Her father had made herself and the warrior's rest, despite the fact that the fight may have already started. Her friends could already be dead, she had argued. Alistair had simply turned away saying that she was no good to them half dead. He would hear no more of her protests.

She sat by the small fire and tore at the hunk of meat in her hand, not bothering to use her claws to slice it, needing to tear at something before her nerves fried her resolve.

This would be the first battle she had had time to prepare for and she didn't like it. Didn't like the wait. It inspired dangerous thoughts.

Thank the gods they were interrupted by heavy bodies falling gracelessly to sit by her side. She looked up and let a wide grin spread across her face. "Tyro! Gin!" she cried, clasping their forearms tightly, making sure not to startle their animals by digging her claws in like she would've done to a fellow predator.

Her two ex-bodyguards returned her smile and even went so far as to offer her a hug. She tensed for a moment before she forced her muscles to relax.

To pass the time, they exchanged news, Alissa not going into too much depth as so much had happened since the last she'd seen them. Tyro had mated to a young hind near two weeks before, Gin was still a bachelor and he'd even asked her if there were any gorgeous women in the places she'd seen.

Alissa had laughed and said that unless he wished to settle for an elf or outlive the lives of man, he was out of luck. He'd pouted adorably and been about to say something in response before her father had given a deep bellow of a roar: the signal to begin to move.

Alissa leapt to her feet and, just like in the days before their knowledge of the ring, Tyro and Gin moved to flank her. She smiled at them over her shoulder and moved to stand next to her father.

He was standing on a slight ridge, watching his people move ahead, making sure that none were left behind. In his arms he held something wrapped in a bundle, a bundle he deposited into her arms without a word.

Alissa sighed and tried hard to not feel offence. Her father didn't want to be here, and was taking every pain to let her know it. He knew that their time of hiding was over, he knew that they must help in this fight, but it was the first time that they had disagreed on something and she had won. It was a sign to him that she was growing up, and he feared for the choices she could make, wishing that she were still the little cub that had been terrified of frogs and getting her paws dirty.

Just because she understood his sudden hostility, didn't mean she liked it. They had always been close since the death of her mother.

She unwrapped the bundle to reveal two short swords. Her heart panged as she remembered her own blades still lying on a plain somewhere with her bag, her mothers last gift to her still inside.

She pulled one out of its sheath, ignoring Tyro and Gin's insistence that they begin to move with the group. It was beautifully made and. …Vaguely familiar.

She would think on it later and began to walk after her father, latching the blades to her thighs as she went. The circlet on her brow slipped down to rest over her eyes and she pushed it back irritably. Normally when her hair was out it would rest easily but because her hair was bound, it was suddenly just a few centimeters too big. Maybe, if it continued to annoy her it the field, she could use it as a club, it was that heavy and could potentially do a lot of damage to a malformed orc skull.

The warriors parted ranks to let her through to stand by her father's side. She gave him a gentled nudge with her arm in thanks for the blades and he gave her a tired half-smile in return, before taking on the visage and personality of a king, not her father.

It had always amazed her, how quickly his face could change.

He raised his hand without looking, Alissa heard the sounds of creature shifting and the heavier tread that followed. They were mostly the elders of her people, being that their animals were a lot bigger and because of their size needed time to get used to their second skins again.

She was among those who were not bothering with armor, being content enough to half shift – a form Alissa had never had to use before. She was human in appearance, however her form moved in a near crouch and her ears and eyes stuck out. She really hoped that the humans were smart enough to not mistake their forms for those of Orcs.

She began to run with her people. She relished the familiar pull of her muscles and pushed herself to go faster. The few creatures that could keep up moved with her. They would be the advance attack, ranging from a variety of big cats species to wolves and deer. Alissa lead just a little ahead of them, keeping a constant speed so that they would reach Helms Deep without needing to stop for another break. Ahead she could see a wall of sky-water and, grimacing at her impending soaking, began to worry.

The men of Rohan had this on top of everything else?

LATER  
Somehow, with whatever luck Aragorn managed to live by, Alissa and the warriors that could keep up with her were able to slip past the orcs and make it to Helms Deep first.

It had been stressful slipping past the Orcs. Making sure the others got past safely; she had waited with her eyes fixed on the marching army. Many times she was sure they had spotted her or another, only to be proven wrong when their yellow eyes moved away. They had white handprints on their bodies and faces, Saruman adding more insult to injury, but sadly that was the only pure looking thing about them.

She had to stop herself from laughing at the way they kept their formation was a slight bow-legged swaying movement which made them slow, but stopped any malformed appendages from hindering the trip. They looked like a swaddle of hippos.

Shuddering in disgust when several of them emitted ghastly bodily functions (as well as holding her breath) she finally slipped by them and ran to catch up with her people.

The ranks of men were already lining the walls of Helms Deep. At their approach someone signaled inside and hundreds of bows were raised in response.

It was one of the rare times Alissa cursed.

She raised her voice to sound over the wall as they headed their way to the front gate. "It would be unwise to waste arrows on your allies Théoden of Rohan!" Without waiting to hear his response, she kept her pace and forced the men and women behind her to follow.

The great doors swung open with a creaking groan. Upon standing under reliable shelter, Alissa shook the loose droplets of water from her furred body and snarled at the dampness still clinging to her coat. It was strange seeing her human limbs covered in fur.

The men who came to greet her were hesitant to approach her, due to her changed appearance she thought, rolling her eyes.

The king pushed forward and gaped at her in shock. His question, however surprised her, for it was not one might expect at such a time or place…. no…it was.

"You're not wearing any clothes!"

Her people muttered amongst themselves but Alissa forced her lips to curl up into what could pass as a smile. The men of Rohan took a step back, so the smile didn't relax them as she'd hoped it might. She sighed and said. "I hardly believe that now is the time to preach about my people's choice of attire, king, but everything that should be covered, is covered for you're information."

She looked about wryly as she took in some of the soldiers aged or extremely young faces, old tattered armor hanging from their limbs like funeral shrouds. She shivered at the image before continuing. "Also I was unaware of a dress code on a field of battle."

"Alissa!" came a familiar voice and before she could turn and see whom it was, she was engulfed in a set of arms, a familiar smell eking its way into her nostrils. She buried her face into his neck and felt her own arms come up around him, savoring the strange feelings tickling her insides…. before they separated to stand there awkwardly.

"Legolas, are you well?" she asked the elf, not knowing what else to say after such an enthusiastic welcome.

He smiled and said warmly. "Well." His face then darkened. "You about gave me heart failure when you leapt over the wall. Would it have been so hard, to make the journey to the door?"

Alissa winced and smiled an apology. She'd twisted her ankle a bit that had made her journey difficult to start, but had managed to walk it off before her father or anyone else could see it. She'd been in a hurry though.

A nudge against her side revealed Gin standing proud in his animal form, antlers tilted slightly in the elf's direction in a slight question.

"_Leave him be."_ She said firmly and the deer backed away. She turned to the rest of her people, shooting an apologetic smile at the company around her before again speaking in her native tongue.

"_For those of you who are familiar with Westron, do not hesitate to use it, we are all under one banner on this field and must act like it for the time being. You are representatives of your kin so you will behave."_

One shifter towards the back snarled at her. _"I can smell elves princess, and you cannot tell me that your friend there is human."_

"_Legolas is a friend and you will treat him as you would your own kind. That goes for any other elf here. We will not begin our journey into this new world with old grudges and bitterness."_ He made to speak again but she growled, "_I will hear no more of it."_

She then turned to Théoden. "My apologies, initial commands are best given in ones own native tongue to avoid misunderstandings. These," she indicated the people behind her, "are predatory or aggressive shifters, We have more, larger shifters coming with my father the BloodRipper of Yor, he will arrive and take the enemy from behind and attempt to thin out the ranks."

Théoden swallowed. "How many do you have with you?"

"In total our numbers are close to three hundred strong, however I know this is not the news you wish to hear." She lowered her eyes to the ground. "I would've bought more, but there were none to be bought without endangering our own homes."

Théoden smiled softly at her. "I'm only concerned about whether they will stand and fight with us Lady Alissa." He turned away to mount a stairwell she hadn't noticed was there.

**Hello everybody, sorry it is late; life gets in the ways and kidnaps plot bunnies. This chapter, I kid you not, has been written and staring at me since the last update. I'm happy with it now, but boy it was like pulling teeth getting get out of my noggin. No action in this chapter, yet, kinda thought I'd put the gory scenes all in one lot, ya know?**

**Anyhoo so I hope everyone is well and that you have enjoyed this chapter. I have to ask, would you like, shorter more frequent chapters or long chapters with maybe a week or so in between updates? **

**Please leave a review before you hit that back button ;) its amazing how addicted I'm getting to them…..**


	22. Chapter 22

**DISCLAIMER: I would probably be still writing this even if I did own it but alas, nothing you recognize actually, unfortunately belongs to me. Only Alissa and her people :D Enjoy!**

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"_You can't catch me Ada!" Cried the small girl as she darted through legs and twisted under skirts. The people watched their princess with good humor, their smiles continued growing when they saw their regal king, the Great BloodRipper, chasing after her, tripping over things she could easily duck around._

_The little imp stuck her tongue out at him when he gave a curse before she frowned. "You're not _suppowsed_ to say that Ada" she admonished before, giggling at her own cheek, darted away again, twigs and leaves scattering and clinging to her clothes and hair. _

_Alistair stood to catch his breath, ever watchful of where the whipping of her hair betrayed her location to be. Panting, he rested his hands on his knees; he had been attempting to teach her how to '_walk quietly_'. A loud raspberry sounded somewhere ahead. Obviously what little he had to teach her hadn't sunk in yet. _

"_It does my heart good to see a child smiling like that again." Irina, an elephanti shifter noted. Alistair's mood abruptly darkened, though he kept a smile on his face, it was more like a grimace. _

_Tonelessly he replied. "She is young, our way of life is harsh but I know her mother would kill me if I did not try to shield her from it."_

_Irina, paused in her folding and straightened, rubbing the small of her back with a sigh. "Your Highness, your daughter is a ray of sunshine, all the children are, try to keep her from seeing your glower and spoiling her fun."_

_He stopped frowning and mentally slapped himself and shackled his beast, reminding it that danger had lessened, their new borders safe. It didn't need to be constantly ready for an attack. Old habits die hard, he admitted, but he had to do it for his cub._

_A cub whose head just peaked out of the grain bins, face and hair now covered in granules, sticky from her sweat. She let out a tiny growl and he laughed as she pouted. She was so determined to 'sound like Ada' but her vocal cords had not developed much past the tiny squeak of a baby. _

"_Do'wn lauf at me." She mumbled before trying again. She leapt out of the barrel but her long legs hooked onto the rim and it fell with her. Alistair, although knowing he should scold her for her carelessness, couldn't help the laughter that bubbled from his chest, he knelt and scooped his child from the grain and nuzzled her cheek with his._

"_Oh my daughter, what _am_ I going to do with you?" he teased._

"_Not punish me?" she asked hopefully, not sure whether he _was_ teasing her or not._

_He shook his head, sat down on a convenient bench and started to pick the granules out of her hair, wiping her face with his sleeve. Alissa sat and accepted the ministrations without complaint, only fidgeting when his finger ghosted like a feather under her chin. She squirmed before he let her go. Again a call of "you can't catch me Ada!". The sound muffled by her mane of hair whipping across her mouth. She skipped away, trying to hide amongst the trees, not realizing that the sunlight was bright enough to show her shadow dancing across the ground._

Alissa awoke from her daydream with a start and gazed in horrified awe at the darkened ground ahead that was literally heaving under the glittering bodies of the many Orcs. The creatures thumped their chests or shield with their metal encased fists, stomped their booted feat and all around made a lot of noise. They were shouting something in their foul language and, as her eyes darted along the lines of her own people behind her, she was not the only one wincing slightly in discomfort. Everyone's breath fogged in the rain.

She turned her back slightly on the Orcs and yelled, "_Prepare your arrows!" to t_he line of her own people. There were a few bowmen (or women as the case may be) among their people, all of whom favored tipping their arrows with the poison of their snake shifters. The poison sat in a tiny barrel beside them and it was also what they would dip their claws into if any hand-to-hand fighting were needed. Théoden didn't seem to think that anything could breach the wall but Alissa wasn't so sure. If Saruman was as great a wizard as Gandalf, then she didn't know what to expect.

Her own claws were unsheathed and splayed out over the stonewall so she wouldn't nick herself or her comrades accidently. It had seemed a vague hope that the poison on her claws would've had time to dry before the rains came, but she couldn't be sure how well it had set in before the majority of it was washed away.

Gimli kept eyeing them every time she shifted her footing. "Lass, I gotta say, in case we die, ye know…." He trailed off before his next came out in a rush. "Yhabethespplenisiails."

She cocked her head at him, brows furrowed in confusion. "I'm sorry?"

Gimli sighed before repeating slower. "Don't be offended but ye have the most splendid set of nails I have ever seen in me life."

She felt a smile grow across her face. "And why would I be insulted by what is obviously a compliment," a slight glint in her eye as she raised a brow, "Although it is the strangest one…."

He gave a chuckle before bitterly complaining about how he couldn't see anything. Privately, Alissa wished she had been vertically challenged so she didn't.

"Would you like me to describe it for you…" Legolas' voice came out of nowhere and Alissa jumped as she felt his arm slide discreetly around her, "Or would you like me to find you a box?"

Alissa let out an undignified snort, which quickly died away as Aragorn yelled something in elvish. She assumed it was along the lines of 'ready your bows' as the elves all, in a splendid display of discipline and perfection did so simultaneously, Legolas among them, his arm sliding away from her, but not before he had quickly gripped her hand in an affectionate squeeze. It had all happened in a second. Tension layered on her shoulders the moment his hands drew away.

She suddenly had a thought that she had never seen such focus before…his eyes, normally an enchanting blue, had hardened into steel flint.

_Alissa,_ she reminded herself warningly, _this is a battle_.

Aragorn's hand fell on her shoulder and he whispered in her ear in order to be heard above the supreme racket the Orcs were creating. "What do you say we attempt to unnerve them with a few roars of our own?"

Alissa smiled and turned away to gaze at her people. "_Today is the day we will bathe in the blood of darkness..." _She turned away from them but continued to direct her voice to her people, yelling. "_But are we going to stand there and let them haggle us like this?!"_

The answering roars and screams her people summoned rent through the stone, cutting the very air and echoing across the vast expanse of land. She felt her eyes turn cat as she opened her jaws wide and let out a challenging bellow with them. The Orcs in the front lines were definitely unnerved and were silent while their brothers raged on behind them in their chanting. Gimli nudged her, "Look!" he cried, pointing out the ranks, "I think they mey have wet 'emselves!" he chortled with disturbing glee.

Then the Orcs started up again, this time even louder than before. However now they were not roaring and merely banged on the metal encasing them.

Alissa heard the strain of taut horsehair before the whizz of an arrow long before it struck the orc. One of the older, human warriors had been unable to hold his grip. He had fantastic aim, she noted, although a few more moments to mentally prepare would've been nice.

The Orcs, after staring dumbly at their fallen brother for a few, long seconds, began to charge the wall. Aragorn shouted out an order in elvish and hundreds of arrows were released. Bodies of malformed Orcs crumpled like damp parchment and Alissa felt a faint stirring of hope. The elves were fantastic archers and the walls indeed strong; perhaps they would live out the night after all.

It didn't take long for her to realize the folly of that hope. Ladders came over the wall, filled with Orcs. Alissa removed her claws from the wall and swung them at the closest one, relishing in the blood squirting from its jugular, before kicking it away from her. One orc grabbed her by the throat and she snarled at him before biting out his throat, although not before it had managed to crush her arm against the wall. Alissa let out a cry that was more animal than human as it fell away from her. It wasn't serious damage, but it did affect the power of her swings, leaving her sides unguarded and forcing her to resort to kicks and flips to make up for it. She made a running leap and slammed her legs into one ladder and watched in vicious satisfaction as it fell, screaming Orcs and all and crushing several below as if they were nothing more than bugs.

That was before the fire wielder came. Despite Legolas' best efforts to bring it down, it fell into the hole beneath the stone. What happened next, defied Alissa's understanding.

She could only describe it as a bright flash of light before her feet left the ground as if in flight. That weightlessness however disorientating, was brief, and she crashed into water. The dirty liquid slopped around her face before she pushed herself up into a crouch. Another horror to add to the growing list, there was now nothing stopping the Orcs from entering the keep.

"_Fire at will!" _She called out in a cough, staying down as her people released their own arrows. Many Orcs fell; some were even skewered multiple times. But it was not enough. Alissa stood when the last volley had been launched and shifted into her cat, relishing in the familiar sensation and enjoying the relief it bought as her arm snapped back into place.

Their animals healed faster, especially under stress and from the sound around her, she was not the only one who made the change. She looked to her flanks as the Orcs began to charge again, all brute strength with little finesse, and saw Gin and Tyro on her heels. Both of them nodded before lowering their antlers and charging. Alissa growled and leapt over the heads of the already fighting elves and bit into the nearest meaty throat she found. Her back feet landed on another's shoulders and she kicked at them roughly, not enjoying the feeling of the flesh parting between what would have been her toes in her human form, but quickly got over it when she saw Aragorn about to be overcome.

She half-shifted, relying on her tough hide to keep her clothed and armored (the men of the West were surely children in regards to nakedness) and twisted in mid-air, slashing with her claws and lashing with her jaws. Aragorn sent her a brief nod before Alissa shifted fully into an animal, relying on the hunter's superior sight as the incoming darkness deepened and spread.

It almost became repetitive. Claws followed smoothly by the crunching of bone underneath her jaws, which were admittedly getting sore from the varying sizes of the Orcs necks. Gimli had popped up briefly to fight beside her, cutting down an orc that was getting too close to her vulnerable back. He seemed to enjoy the bloodshed a little too much, but the power he wielded as he swung his ax in a deadly arc was more important. He was versatile too, when one of his axe's snapped from the shaft, he flung began to use it as a club before finally shoving it just under a passing orc's breastbone.

Various animal shapes slammed and rolled under hulking shapes, slicing them with horns and teeth or smashing their hooves on downed faces. The elves were equally impressive….

…. But as many Orcs that were slaughtered, several of their allies took their place and the free-peoples began to tire, their strength waning against the forces these creatures emitted.

"Aragorn! Alissa! Fall back to the keep!" came Théoden's voice, "Get your men outta there!"

Alissa gave a hiss and a growl and didn't do as he said. Why was he retreating when there were still enemies to kill? She let another challenging roar that was echoed by several of her people. She would not back down, she would not give up…. Of course the potency of these thoughts were lost as a hand gripped the scruff of her neck and began to pull her away. She looked up to see an elf, blond not-unlike Legolas, but familiar…the rude elf from Lothlorien!

She hissed and tried to get her jaws around his wrist to release her but he just shook her before nearly screaming in her ear, "Do as he says Shifter!" before throwing her unceremoniously away from him to deal with another orc, calling in elvish to his men as he went.

Alissa felt the bloodlust begin to ebb enough for her to see the logic behind their words. Glancing at the bodies littering the floor she saw many of her kin, the glimmer in their eyes still fading, scowls etched on their humanoid faces. She let out a loud cry, more of a high-pitched shriek when she recognized one of the bodies on the ground. She ran to him, half-shifting as she went and grabbed his head unceremoniously until it rested on her lap. Tyro would've surely reacted to this harsh treatment had he not already have passed from this world. His body remained warm; one of his beautiful horns had been snapped from his head, blood seeping from the wound still. The killing blow however was evident from the cudgel still resting in his half-shifted chest. It looked wrong there, it shouldn't be there, she tried to pull it out of him but the blood on her hands made it slick. Raising her hands away, she let out another shrieking cry, a signal to her people, although she wasn't fully aware of what she was doing, still caught up with her grief of Tyro. He had just recently mated with perhaps little ones on the way…

She stared at her hands in horror, ignoring the answering cries as the bloodlust faded away completely. She glanced around. Gently she replaced Tyro's head on the ground and mindful of his horns, stepped over his body to slay an orc near her, yelling _"We must Retreat! Please my people I beg of you hear me and RETREAT!"_ Tears fell like rivers, mixing with the blood still trailing form her lip. Spying a cloak lying carelessly on the gorund, she scooped it up, noticing it was of elven make and hoping she wasn't inadvertently stealing. It wasn't on the corpse so that could mean the owner was still alive. She tied it around her shoulders, thrusting her arms through the hidden sleeves as she began to run, tapping people on the shoulder as she passed, slaying any orc stupid enough to get in her path.

Somehow, either through a sheer amount of luck or the fickle hand of fate, she was inside the keep. Her people stood panting behind her, grasping at the sides of wounded companions who wouldn't of been able to make the journey on their own or sobbing the loss of another. Alissa did a quick head count. Most of her people were accounted for, but she knew the loss of the few who weren't would haunt their people for years to come. If they ever made it out of their own personal hell.

She saw many wounded and, realizing she wouldn't be much more use in the current mood she was in, ran over to the cupboard where she had stored all of the Dust their people had bought with them. Others of her kind noticed her movement and followed her.

Alissa ran over to the nearest wounded, an elf ironically, and pinched a slight amount she rubbed it into his wound. A hand stopped her and she frowned at the furious looking elf behind her. "What are you doing you little fool! Are you trying to give him an infection?!"

She scowled and hissed at him until he moved his hand away, keeping a firm grip on the wounded elf's leg so he wouldn't move. Stupid elves think I'm so stupid, she thought angrily, make them look stupid. Her thoughts were childish and as chaotic as her emotions but the message had been clear to them: don't interfere if you wish for your man to live. She probably gripped his leg a little harder than necessary in hindsight but he didn't complain. Looking back on that moment, Alissa hadn't quite realized what an important step she was making, the first of many between the shifters and the elves.

She began running her fingers smoothly over the wound, barely touching it at all. The surrounding elves murmured amongst themselves as she worked. Ignoring them, as her kind was prone to do, she kept quiet until her patient gave a loud curse as he tried to jerk away from her. She hissed at him. "Be quiet and stop moving or this won't work!"

The moment it did was when the particles began to heat up from her own body heat, even going so far as to melt into the wound. The elf screamed, and she held him down, though her face was not without sympathy. Eventually other, similar cries rose up as she and her people worked but no one stopped them. Many of the people who had surrounded them at the start had moved to brace their bodies against the door. From here Alissa could hear the grunts and snorts of the Orcs behind the door.

She moved on, satisfied that she had done her part for this one, when the elf began to stand, still looking in amazement at the spot where the wound had once been.

It was still there, but covered and protected by a barrier that only shifters could see through. It would take time for the wound to fully heal, but now the elf wouldn't lose his leg, nor would he be unable to feel it. He could fight if he so chose, which he obviously did since he shot her a grateful smile, grabbed his sword and ran to help his comrades.

Alissa moved slowly through the line of wounded, trying to get as many people up and ready as possibly before that door broke. The cracking sound and the feel of cold air licking her exposed side told her that they didn't have a lot of time. She couldn't help but jump when a loud horn sounded out. It was loud, impossibly loud, but somehow now threatening in any way.

She wiped her hands on her borrowed robe and stood to see what was happening. She could see the heads of Orcs pushing through the small hole they had made, but what she also saw was her friends, mounted on horseback.

She gave a pealing cry to alert her people. Many rose to stand with her, shifting alongside her. Only a few stayed to save those they could, the rest wanted blood.

Her paws felt odd against the stone after the harsh beating they had received fighting, smooth with only a few traces of grit despite the filth from outside. She stood next to Legolas' horse. She felt small next to the big animal, but knew Legolas wouldn't allow it to hit her. She looked up to notice him watching her, smiling that weird smile of his, like he knew something she did not. She stuck her tongue out at him until he looked away before running it over her nose and letting it slip back into her lips. He wouldn't know the meaning of that one gesture, but her people did and she saw many of them looking at Legolas in a new light…almost respect?

She was glad. Maybe if they both survived they could possibly have a future together…it would be nice to see his home and be with him even if he made her confused and furious at the same time….

Théoden's second blew into the horn gripped tightly in his hand. Then, as one, the free-peoples charged towards the rising sun.

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LATER…..

Alissa couldn't get over their stroke of luck. Her father and the larger animal shifters had arrived at the same time as the rider Eomer. All three parties converged in the middle and drove the Orcs off into the waiting trees.

She recognized some of the stretching limbs and quickly jumped in front of some men meaning to follow the creatures. They cursed at her until Eomer gave the order to stay back. Alissa paced in front of the lines and tensed visibly as the trees began to writhe of their own accord, screams ripping the air, the smell of dying orc merging strangely with the familiar headiness of the forest.

Alistair prowled over to stand by her side, dwarfing her much smaller animal. Together, father and daughter watched as the trees of their homeland began to still, hissing slightly in agitation as silence fell around them.

He licked her gently behind her ear before he rose to his full height and padded away form her. She watched him go, noticing that despite the strength of his bearing and the black blood soaking his pelt, that he was visibly shaking from age.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Legolas sat beside her, pulling his arm around her slight shoulders to ease her into his side. It was an awkward position for one on four legs and she leaned uncomfortably for as long as her muscles didn't protest. When they did she nipped his ear affectionately before pulling away. He let her move aside with protest and she could feel his stare as she moved away.

They had won this battle for now.

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**So anyway hello! Sorry about the wait. I just wanted to quickly thank everyone who has reviewed this story. For those of you who have posted with questions, remember that I can't reveal much yet otherwise it will spoil the story. **

**I hope everyone is having a good week and I am again sorry for the long wait, I didn't want to force this 'darling' of a chapter but am pretty happy otherwise of how it turned out.**

**Hopefully the next update won't be far away….**

**For now, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and please leave a review before you hit that back button. :D**


	23. Chapter 23

Alissa clamped her legs tightly around the body of the beast, griping the reins gingerly and eyeing them as if though they were poisonous serpents. At this point in time, she thought she would rather the snakes. Every swaying step had her wincing, every clop of the hooves against the forest floor had her shuddering internally and every stumble made her let out cowardly little squeaks.

"You are doing very well Lady Alissa." Intoned King Théoden.

She shot him a glare, "I do not need fake praise Théoden king." The horse reared back its head as if in agreement but settled when she let a timid hiss at it.

"No, I just mean that the …what was it you called it? " he made his voice go higher, "creature disguised as a _helrikihan _**(AN: it's a crocodile)** hasn't yet sucked out your soul or taken over your body as you were want to believe this morning." His eyes twinkled with gentle humor before he rode on to ride behind Gandalf.

Alissa felt as though a blush was permanently scarred on her skin. Remembering what happened this morning, she tried to hold her head as high as possible but her elf's light laughter showed just how much it was helping to restore her pride.

"Come now sweet, they gave you the most docile animal! An orc could bite her flank and she wouldn't bat an eyelid! Relax before you hurt yourself."

"Says the creature that can talk to animals!" she shot back.

"Says the creature who IS an animal." Any hurt the words could have inflicted had anyone else said them was lost in the way his smile nearly split his face. She looked away to hide her own smile, unknowingly gentling her hold on the reins causing the horse below her to let out an inaudible huff in surprised pleasure. Her rider didn't please her anymore than her rider was by her, at least she wasn't screaming or growling anymore….

They had been travelling through Fangorn for half a day, the trees almost seeming to part for them so they could travel faster than it would have normally taken. For the first time in a long while, Alissa felt at home. Travelling underneath the dense foliage of the aged trees, albeit not in the way that she'd intended, caused lightness in her bearing and a near giddiness at the familiar smells, sights and noises filtering through the dense undergrowth. Again and again, she felt her ears flicking about underneath her hair as it caught this nearly _strange_ sense of familiarity.

Her people were watching them, she could see the occasional brush of a fern in the undergrowth, the remaining flecks of animal hair caught on a bramble…. the eyes peeking out from a hollow in the wood. They had returned two days before, Alissa would have travelled with them but she had business in Isengard with the rest of the Fellowship. An idea caught in the net of her mind and niggled until she had to move the blasted animal forward, not caring really that the creature did so just from her slightest movement in the saddle. She came next to Gandalf and Théoden, who were still looking at her with faint amusement.

"Gandalf…" she began but was interrupted by the old man.

"I know what you're going to ask Alissa and quite frankly I believe it to be a splendid idea."

Alissa blinked. "So after we have dealt with Saruman…."

"Yes yes!" he waved her off with a small laugh before his face-hardened alarmingly, "_After_ we deal with Saruman."

Alissa nodded and began to concentrate on the beast….Bella she recalled its name, looking for any sudden tensing of the muscles and following the movements of her head to determine whether or not she was going to buck her off.

Time passed quickly through her intense concentration that she almost missed the sloshing of the water beneath Bella's feet. Alissa let out a slight hiss and lifted her feet up to rest closer to her body, feeling sick as she stared at the filthy water. Legolas rode as close as he could, took the reins from her clammy hands and tied it to his own horse. Gimli shot her a wink from behind him but she barely noticed.

Water….and horses…..all in one day! Her father was never going to believe this.

"HAHAHAHAAAA ! ALISSA!" came the shouts of two familiar voices and she looked up startled, thinking that she would never hear those little voices again. She gave a slight cry of delight and nearly sprang off her horse, forgetting momentarily that she was afraid of the water. She waved her arms enthusiastically and the hobbits waved back.

"Welcome! My lords….and Lady! To Isengard." Merry called around a mouth full of food. The Fellowship beamed at the sight of them.

Gimli however was less than pleased to find the two hobbits sitting there as if nothing had happened and they were merely ….what was the phrase they had used? Taking tea in the living room parlor. "You young rascals!" he boomed, "A merry hunt ye lead us on and we find you feasting…..and SMOKING!"

Pippin shuffled his large feet further into the rock he was perched on and leaned nonchalantly on his arms, his pipe secure between his grinning lips. "We is sitting on a field of victory, enjoying some well earned comforts! Judging by your tone I suspect you wouldn't need such trivial things. Lady Alissa we have some salted pork with your name on it!"

Alissa's face pulled in confusion. "What is pork?" No one answered her as a shepherd of the forest had slowly trekked his way over to them. He talked about what had happened in the past few days and the war he and the other shepherds had fought without much prompting. During his tail, Aragorn had dismounted and placed the hobbits on horses. He chucked up Pippin behind himself after he remounted. Treebeard, as he was called, looked at them all with that same weary wisdom that seemed to line Gandalfs own face and finished his tale. "…But there is a wizard to manage here….locked in his tower."

"Show yourself." She heard Aragorn mutter only to be rebuked by Gandalf. "Be careful, even in defeat Saruman is dangerous."

"Lets jest have 'is head and be done with it." Gimli growled, obviously still annoyed by the Hobbits gentle teasing moments before.

"No, we need him alive, we need him to talk."

"I can do that Gandalf." Alissa called unsheathing her claws to be visible to all, "Since leaving home I've found that _these_ can be very, what is the word Legolas?"

"Persuasive."

"Right that word."

Gandalf shook his head seconds before it happened.

A cruel, oily voice boomed over the watery remains of the Orcs war-preparations, a powerful voice that made the very hairs on Alissa's neck prickle in apprehension. "You have fought many wars and slain many men Théoden King and made peace afterwards , can we not take counsel as we once did old friend? Can we not have peace?"

"We shall have peace. When you answer for the burning of the Westfold…. and the children that lie dead there. We shall have peace for the wives of the soldiers, whose bodies were hewn even as they lay dead against the gates of the Hornberg, un-avenged! When you hang for your treachery for the sport of your own crows….we shall have peace!" The last words were nearly spat form the King to leave a long ringing silence.

"Chibbits and Crows! Doubter! What do you want Gandalf Greyhame? Let me guess the key of Orthank or perhaps the keys of Barad-dûr itself? Along with the crowns of the seven kings and the robes of the five wizards?"

Alissa personally didn't know why Gandalf would need such things, they didn't seem that important to her. Why would Gandalf want to wear some other wizards rusty old clothes?

"Your treachery has cost countless lives, thousands more are at risk. But you could save them Saruman, tell us what you know." Gandalf appeared to be attempting some level of calm but the creature on top of the tower was having none of it.

"So you have come here for information? I have some for you." He went on to say some strange portent that Alissa didn't understand since he spoke too fast. The only words she picked up was that the heart of Middle Earth was at risk and the Shadow somehow had an advantage.

"…You are all going to die. You cannot think that this ranger from the North will ever be crowned king. This exile who crept from the shadows will never be crowned king."

Alissa let out a low growl and she could almost feel the empty wizards eyes on her skin. It was enough to give her hives.

"And let us not forget the budding bond between the elves and the shifters. Do you really think you can unite a people long grieved by each others very presence!" Then the old wizard did something disturbing, he plagued the air by speaking with his foul tongue the language of her people.

"_Little Princess do you really think you can bring your people back from the cusp of annihilation. This _elf_ that you have foolishly given your heart to will never allow such a thing to happen. Or did your pitiful, cowardly father not think to educate you on this? I bet you don't even know what I am saying do you? Pathetic. And to think, that you would trust in this feeble bond that you have with the outside world…it will betray you in the end no matter how much Gandalf proclaims otherwise!"_

Alissa, who had been growing tenser by the minute let out a yell in Westron, "Says the man who has committed such atrocities!" her voice lowered to a carrying growl, "Come down here and say that to my face and we'll see how _pathetic_ my claws are against your flesh!"

The wizard however ignored her as if she hadn't spoken and returned his attention back to Gandalf. "Gandalf does not hesitate to sacrifice those dearest to him, those, dare I say it, he professes to love."

"Tell me," He asked as if genuinely interested, "what words of comfort did you give the Halfling before you sent him to his doom? The path you have set him on can only lead to death."

"Says the one facing death…." Alissa muttered, sharpening her claws against each other and blowing away the slight dust.

"I've 'eard enough! Shoot him," he said to Legolas who reached for an arrow, "Stick an arrow in his gob, might shut 'em up."

Alissa shot them a smile even as Gandalf said no and yelled for Saruman to come down.

Yes Saruman come on down, Alissa thought, running her tongue over her rapidly lengthening fangs, _then_ we'll see how _pathetic _shifters can be.

"SAVE YOUR PITY AND YOUR MERCY! I HAVE NO USE FOR IT!" The creature with a heart of black called before raising his staff and flinging what looked to be green toned fire. Alissa's horse reared on her hind legs and, instead of panicking as she would have normally done, Alissa clamped her legs tightly around its body and hissed in its ear until it settled, eyes wide, chest heaving.

She looked up to see Gandalf relatively unharmed, just the hem of his robe smoking gently. "Saruman," he said sadly, "Your staff is broken."

And it was. One moment it stood whole in the dark-hearts grasp and then it was splintering down to lie amongst the other wreckage, indistinguishable from any other piece of wood used in the wizards evil.

Another mans dark head poked around the Wizards which caused Théoden to sit up in his saddle in recognition. "Grima! You need not follow him, you were once a man of Rohan."

"What is Rohan," growled the disgraced wizard, "But a thatched barn where brigands drink in the reek and their brats roll about with the dogs. Victory at Helms deep does not belong to you Théoden, horse master. You are the lesser son, of greater sires!"

Alissa had had enough. "Right, you are by far the most horrible individual I have met in Middle Earth but I must say you have a brilliant way of seeking out forgiveness, you know I was almost convinced that you were just a total, undeserving **(AN: the words she says here are not fit for translation)**…." Her speech was cut off by a hand wrapping around her mouth. She squealed behind it and tried to bite the soft leather so that it would release her but it held firm, even as blood sank into her tongue.

Alissa barely followed the rest of the conversation between the dark wizard and her friends and only snapped back to full alertness when Legolas let loose an arrow and it hit a body with a dull thud. Seconds later the wizards body fell to the dirty water bellow, lifeless and pale.

Her eyes went wide and the hand on her face was removed. She looked up to see Eomer, who shot her a tired smile even as he shook out the pain in his hand.

"Send word to all our allies….we need to know where he will strike next. Alissa," the wizard turned his attention to her and she snapped upright in the saddle, "You will need to tell us all we should know to seek a proper audience with your king, we will need his help in the coming battle. We need to leave now!"

She nodded and reached over to Legolas' horse to pull the reins from the loose knot on his saddle. Their fingers brushed gently and they smiled at one another before respectively parting so she could lead the way. She ignored Gimli's dark mutterings.

Once they had cleared the watery area, she gingerly leapt down from her horse and took off her shoes so she could feel the dirt beneath her toes. "You must get off the horses. My people will not take kindly to them being ridden into our village."

"But they saw us riding them at Helm's deep. Why would they take offence now?" A soldier, she didn't know his name, only that he smelled really bad.

She leveled a look at him until he turned away before turning to Théoden. "Will he be able to manage taking all the horses back to Rohan?"

The king's eyebrow raised slightly before he shook his head. "We will need several men to return with them. One per absent rider."

She nodded to herself before speaking her thoughts aloud. "My father will be expecting the Fellowship to accompany me as well as your king."

"But that means that only two of us can go with him! That is not adequate protection!"

She bared her fangs at him. "Do you _want_ my father to take offence? Know this son of man, he will be looking for it until he can find it and then it won't matter how many there are to protect him!"

She began walking away, grabbing Legolas' hand as she did so, falling into the familiar, slinking movements of a predator on the prowl. The Hobbits ran to catch up with her slipped their hands into hers. She slowed her pace so they could keep up, righting them when they stumbled over a stray root.

They chattered to her animatedly about their adventures and she listened intently, eyeing them over discreetly to make sure they were indeed unharmed as they said. Once the shuffling movements of the horses had faded away, as did the Hobbits chatter she stopped and turned to face the small party.

"Don't look anyone in the eye, don't speak unless spoken to," she ignored Gimli's guffaw. "I mean it, and also…how do I put this delicately, don't let out any smells if you can help it."

Merry wrinkled his nose, "Alissa, you really are no Lady."

"And don't stare at them. They may be in either shifted form and they do not care if they are naked or not, but they are shy of strangers and many of them have cubs to protect."

Aragorn raised his hand and began to point to them "Don't talk, don't smell, don't stare and don't go near them. Correct?"

Alissa nodded, beginning to feel as if her head was on a hinge and began to walk through the forest before another thought occurred to her. "Oh and Legolas? Please, just for the time being, cover your ears and make your footsteps a little heavier, just until we get to my father."

Legolas smiled at her, not taking any offense and tried to get his hair to fall over his ears enough to disguise them.

'What ye need is a thick woolen hat." Gimli grumbled as he clambered over a particularly devilish root. "I'd let ye borrow me helmet but your heads a bit fat for it."

Legolas solved the problem by flicking his hood over his face, sticking his tongue out at the dwarf who chuckled merrily through his puffs of air. Alissa shook her head slightly. "It's no good, you look even more like an elf, but it will have to do. My people will need to get used to it sooner or later." She met Legolas' eyes as he bought her hand to his lips. An almost giddy feeling sprung around her belly with all the enthusiasm and more as of a youngling with a new toy.

They began to walk, Alissa feeling frustrated at their slow pace. It was hard to appear impressive when you had to compensate for shorter legs.

Théoden picked his way over to her, puffing slightly. "How far are we from your people?"

"Not far, just over that small hill." She pointed and frowned when their faces went pale.

"You and I need to have a little chat over what constitutes as far." Muttered Aragorn before he turned to the group. "The sooner you move, the sooner you get there."

"Why didn't we just take the horses?" Pippin whined pathetically.

Alissa didn't bother turning around. "I'm not sure if you would want my people to get the impression that you think animals so beneath yourself that you would ride them."

"Is that what you think?" asked Eomer. She turned to him in surprise, having not noticed him and thinking he would've rather returned with the rest of the men. Alissa stopped at the base of the hill and turned once again to face them all, trying to get them to understand. She schooled her face into a neutral expression. "What do you see when I make this face?"

"Nothing." Eomer said after a moment of deliberation.

"And that is what you will be faced with. My people are not like yours son of kings and the last thing you should do is to expect them to act like yourself. What one thing means for you, means something completely different to me and mine. So in answer to your question, at first I did get the impression that you thought animals like your horses beneath you, but then I saw how well you cared for them and it changed my mind."

He nodded and they continued the journey in silence once again.

Several hours passed and they had not stopped once, much to the hobbits distress. Alissa couldn't help but chuckle at them even as she promised that they were not far away.

The foliage grew denser, forming a natural wall, marking the entrance to her village. As the little light given by the trees darkened, Alissa had the group holding onto each other so that they didn't wander. She began to see speckles of eyes in the gathering darkness, blinking solemnly and some narrowing before flickering away.

Gimli tugged on her braid. "Lass, I think there is somethin' watchin' us!" He whispered urgently. Alissa fought the urge to laugh. Her people had been watching them as soon as they came into Fangorn but she patted his shoulder in reassurance before saying. "Don't fret my friend, its just my family and they are curious."

She saw him tug at his beard in apprehension. "I felt somethin' _breathing_ on me and it growled!"

Alissa shook her head, "They will not harm you."

"They _want_ te harm me." He grunted back as if that mattered, mumbling to himself quietly before falling into silence.

Alissa drew her hand up for the group to a halt. They may as well get whatever rest they could for now since they had to wait for someone to fetch them anyway. Alissa had never had to follow such decorum before, having never had much need. She was almost nervous about her presence in these woods, that was certain. To think of all that had transpired since she had left! She was a completely different person.

Growls swept the air and the Hobbits edged closer to Alissa, their hands gripping onto the cloth of her robe in a vice like grip. Alissa bared her teeth at the surrounding darkness and let out her own warning growl, lacing it with a tone of authority until the discontented murmurings of her people were silenced. A small rustle of bushes, before a male stepped out to greet them. He was half shifted and his eyes casted with feral savageness over the group. He spoke before Alissa could, forgetting his place she thought.

"_Why have you bought such strange creatures to our woods? These human men and children and an Elf no less! His stench is burning my nose! Remove them from my sight at once!"_

Alissa let out a roar of outrage and the male shrank back as if finally realizing who he was talking to. _"You dare speak such words to me? My companions are of no concern of yours. This is an issue to be addressed by myself and my Father."_

The male sunk into a crouch and growled. She felt rather than saw her companions hands drop to their weapons when he spoke again in the timbre of his animal, a predator, some kind of canine she thought, when his voice seemed to catch on his words.

"_They are not permitted here Lady Alissa! I will not have an Elf near my mate and pups!"_

"_What you want has no power here fool, what they have to say has greater importance than any who dwell here, it affects all of the peoples!"_

"_I will not stand for it…..!"_

Alissa anger boiled over and she leapt, wrenching her cloak from the Hobbits hands (she hoped she hadn't injured them), and before the other male knew it, she had raked his torso with her claws and kicked his feet out from underneath him. She had her knee to his throat and roared in his face, spraying him with spittle and baring her teeth. _"Submit or I _will_ end you."_

After much struggling, he finally relented and let his body fall limp. Alissa cautiously removed her knee from his windpipe and backed away slowly. More of her people slunk out of the shadows to stand on the edge, waiting for her command._ "My people it has been long since I last saw your faces but unfortunately I have no time to exchange pleasantries, please take us to my Father."_

"_What of the Elf, Princess?" _a woman asked.

"_He comes with me…"_ Alissa growled and linked her arm through Legolas' and tugging him with her. The womans eyes widened in wonder before turning and leading the way. Legolas raised a brow as he was want to do before inquiring over what he'd missed from lack of understanding.

Alissa shrugged and said "Dominance issues." She ignored Gandalfs resounding laughter with as much dignity as she could manage.

* * *

Soon they were amongst the tree houses of Fangorn, but the fellowship weren't awre of that. Alissa began to worry about how they were going to get themselves up to her home since they had no claws. She pulled up Legolas' hand to check though. Laughing, he tugged his hand away and asked "What is it?"

Alissa didn't answer though, just grabbed at her other companions hands before letting them return to their owners sides dejectedly. She eyed him inquisitively. "how are you all at climbing trees?"

Merry laughed before he realized she was completely serious. He looked first at the girth of one of the trees and the smoothness of their bases. He let his eyes travel up to the very height of the forest covering. Even Treebeard would fit comfortably under there, he thought, and with plenty of room to spare.

"_My Lady!"_ came an excited scream and Alissa turned in surprise only for her face to be smothered by the generous bosom of her foster mother, Maris. She had the scent of motherhood upon her, of clean-soap, milk and warmth, which was strange until Alissa remembered that the tigress had had cubs shortly before she herself had left the forest. She couldn't remember if she'd said goodbye and eyed her old friend sheepishly when she growled at her. _"Do you have ANY IDEA HOW WORRIED I WAS! HERE I AM AFTER THE TOILS OF LABOUR EXPECTING TO AT LEAST GET A VISIT FROM MY CHARGE AND WHAT HAPPENS!? SHE GOES OFF ON SOME MERRY-GATHERING ADVENTURE TO THE GODS KNOW WHERE TO FACE THE….." _She trailed off before sighing and held Alissa by the shoulders as she examined her. She flicked Alissa on the nose affectionately and pulled her in for another hug. _"By the gods it is good to see you my dear…. who are your companions?"_

Alissa smiled and dragged the Hobbits over to Maris who exclaimed over them, clucking like the mother she was. _"These are Hobbits Maris, they are not children, this is just the adult height of their people."_

Maris did not seem surprised although she did not let go of the Hobbits as she hugged them and fussed at their hair, which had twigs and leaves about them. _"Their names?"_ she demanded. _"Be a dear Alissa, I know I won't be able to understand them so just let me know their names so I can at _least _give them some sort of welcome!"_

Alissa laughed and put her hands on the Hobbits heads herself to gently pry them away from her. Pippin theatrically gasped for air and Merry set about straightening his clothes. _"Gandalf speaks our language quite well but these are Merry and Pippin."_

Maris nodded and gave them a wave, smiling but forgetting to not show all her teeth which disconcerted the Hobbits a little. She then turned and waved a hand in the rest of the groups direction. _"The others? Which one is this Gandlaf?"_

"Gandalf" She emphasized his name, "_is the elder of our company and is what the outside world calls a _wizard **(AN: she would say the Westron word) **_and has great power." _Alissa waited as Gandalf gave Maris a slight bow before continuing. "_Aragorn, Eomer and Théoden are of Man, kings in their own right, although Aragorn has yet to claim his own and Eomer is heir._ _The dwarf goes by the name of Gimli."_ Maris walked over to them without hesitation and grasped them firmly by the arms in greeting. They reciprocated with hesitant smiles on their faces. "_A Dwarf!" _Maris exclaimed, _"They be the ones of the mountain?" _She nodded as if to answer herself, which made Alissa privately question the point of asking it at all.

Maris then turned to Legolas and to her credit didn't stiffen when she noticed his pointed ears. She breathed in deeply through her nose, which flared and she turned to her foster-daughter. "_You've scented him!" _she said, almost accusingly as she walked over to her. She stood behind her and pushed her towards him muttering, _"Introduce me!"_

Alissa swallowed nervously and placed Legolas' hand in Maris'. She looked from one to the other before saying "_This elf goes by the name of Legolas. I have grown to care for him Maris."_

Maris grabbed Legolas by the top of his head and bought him in for a hug, squeezing him until he was sure his ribs cracked, before gently disengaging herself from the stunned elf. She smiled gaily at the group before gesturing at herself and saying her name loudly, but clearly. She didn't say it rudely as if she were speaking to a particularly dumb child but as if they were equals and worthy of each other's presence.

Alissa noticed cubs (the bravest of all their kind in their naivety), bounding up to the Hobbits and tugging on their hands to play with them, Older individuals slowly slinking closer to her friends, touching them (not threateningly, but in genuine curiosity). As usual, Maris' personality worked to break the ice. Alissa felt as though her Foster-mother could speak to a rock and still have a decent conversation.

A youngling tugged on her elbow and she bent down to listen, smiling at the way Maris was communicating, quite effectively she might add with her simple gestures. _"My Lady, your Father the king has requested for you and your companions. He has sent down the riser so they don't have to climb."_

Alissa tousled the younglings head and murmured her thanks. She turned to gather the group. She pulled Gimli away from the warriors mound, the Hobbits from the children and the others from Maris. Maris pouted slightly when Alissa told her of the kings summons before saying. _"Tell them that they are welcome in my home at anytime for partaking of food and drink. I want to get to know this man of yours….and your friends" _she added as if in an afterthought_. _When she thought Alissa too slow on the uptake she nudged her firmly in the small of her back and hissed _"Tell them in those _exact_ words."_

Alissa laughed and batted her away gently with her claws. She turned to her friends. "Maris would like for me to tell you that you are welcome to have a meal with her and that she would like to get to know you all." She left out the part of Legolas being _her _man as Maris put it. One because the other shifter wouldn't know the difference and two, because Alissa didn't feel comfortable saying it aloud. He wasn't a shifter which made their relationship slightly complicated as Alissa didn't know what to do or expect from him. She would just treat him as if he were and simply hope he got the message, although he was proving a bit dense as of late.

Aragorn fell into step with her and Legolas as they said their goodbyes to the other people. "What was that about 'they will eat you or kill you if you interact with them in anyway' speech earlier today? I feel as though that went rather well."

"You forget Aragorn that I dealt with the first of our problems and did not hope to count on Maris' support. She is a dominant in our hierarchy and the people follow her lead."

"But what was all that talk of not lookin' them in the eye! I looked at the babies and they didn't eat me!" piped up Pippin as he almost hopped to catch up with their longer strides.

"Because those were _babies_ Pippin, I'm sure your young would be similar. Besides, those rules weren't just reserved for my people. Oh no my friends those are rules you _must_ obey when you meet my Father."

Remembering their visions of the BloodRipper, although blind, dripping in black blood, the monstrosity of his animal form dwarfing that of even the tallest Urukai, made them all shiver. Pippin and Merry, however just skipped on, oblivious to the possible danger.

* * *

**Yo! I'm not gonna apologize for this being late since its well over 5000 words, by far one of the longest chapters in this story. I hope you like the direction I'm taking it in, normally I don't do well will politics and the like but realized that a lot of the 'Return of the King' has it in it, so I thought, why not give my hand a crack at it?**

**I have to say, I've been wanting to introduce Maris for a while now. If you remember I briefly mentioned her in the first chapter and before any one asks she is not with BloodRipper, she just bosses him around like the motherly character she is.**

**So anyways I hope you enjoyed the chapter and that you've had a good week/day! :D**

**PS: Please leave a review before you hit that back button ;)**

**PPS: Sorry for the slight cliffie!**


	24. Chapter 24

Alissa peered anxiously through the open door before waving her friends in. The place hadn't changed in the many weeks since she'd last been here. As their people had a more approachable relationship with their king than any other nation she had yet to come across, they had to travel through several levels of their home before they made it to the reception room. Several awkward levels with the servants staring at them…her reproachfully.

Her father had no doubt felt the disturbance in the air from the amount of time the door was left open. He knew they were there and she knew he was testing the hearts of her companions. Despite the fact that he had seen them fight for their very lives with all the mettle of a shifter in bloodlust.

It didn't make sense to her and the only reason she could think of was because Legolas was there.

Something was bubbling on the stove, letting off a delicious aroma of spice. It was enough to make several empty stomachs growl. Alissa frowned at the implications of its presence however. It either meant her father was going to be rude and eat in front of her companions or that he was _actually_ inviting them to break their fast.

Her father had never been so unpredictable. It was almost as confusing as her relationship with Legolas. No, not quite on that level, she thought with a grin, looking over at the elf in question as he inspected the room.

Well, no time like the present. Sighing, she led the way to the spiral staircase to head to the lower levels.

They followed her silently, obviously feeling her tension. Gimli was having trouble with his shorter legs on the steep stairs and had to keep being jerked back by Eomer before he could fall the rest of the way, as were Pippin and Merry, but the hobbits were using each other as supports so didn't need to be rescued, unlike the proud dwarf who fell down the stairs.

All too soon, the many levels of Alissa's home disappeared and they were left at the lowest level of the tree. The door was open, revealing the welcoming flicker of flames, casting shadows against the wood. She stood in the doorway and, although her father couldn't see it, dropped into a slight bow before leading the way inside. Her father sat on a chair in front of the fire rather than the one he would normally take counsel in. This one was heaped with colorful fabrics of varying textures, their length spewing over the edges to drape elegantly to the floor. He sat there for a long while in silence before finally turning to his daughter.

"You are late." Was all he said before he opened his arms. She bounded forward without hesitation. Her head briefly disappeared behind his massive arms before they parted. He kept one hand on her shoulder and turned towards her companions.

"Aragorn, son of Arathorn, Gimli, son of Gloin and Legolas of the Woodland Realm I have met with you before, yet the others that stand with you are unknown to me. Tell me, who are you." It wasn't a question and Alissa couldn't help but shudder at the tone, and the cold look on her fathers face as his sightless eyes remained fixed in Legolas' direction.

Alissa moved to stand behind Merry and Pippin who squeaked a little when she pushed them closer to the Blind King, her movement enough to distract her fathers relentless stare, his hatred nearly palpable. His nostrils flared as he took in the young hobbits scent and let out his breath in a noise akin to a purr. "These two are the ones you were looking for my daughter, I know their scent for it was ripe throughout the forest. Yet what manner of creature could possibly elude me and mine for weeks on end?"

"They are called hobbits Father, and are small like the children of our own. These are the Masters Meriadoc and Perregrin of the Shire, a land of peace and prosperity."

The BloodRipper nodded as if to himself and rose from his chair to walk towards them. He gently placed his hand on the top of their heads before turning their bodies towards the door. "You are welcome younglings but the sound of your stomachs are beginning to give me a headache, go up the stairs till you reach the top level, there you will find a hind by the name of Elena. She will take care of you whilst we discuss war." With only a token protest from Merry at the gentle dismissal, the two hobbits scampered off. Once their footsteps had echoed away he turned to the remainder of their party. "For that is why you have come Gandalf is it not?"

The wizard shuffled forward, muttering "Am I that transparent?" and clasped arms with the king of the shifters. "I wondered whether or not you remembered me, it was so long ago that I enjoyed your hospitality."

"You have not changed in visage nor has time dulled your tongue." The king shifted till he faced Théoden and Eomer, the fur of his animal rustling under his skin, a brilliant pattern of golden spots a mirror his daughters. "And you, sons of man are familiar in scent yet I know you not. You are of Rohan, that is evident from the scent of horse and the oil you use to garnish your armor and saddles. Tell me your names so that we may join the hobbits upstairs for good food and company."

Théoden stepped forward without hesitation and gave a slight tilt of his head towards the king in acknowledgement. Alissa raised a brow.

"I am Théoden, Lord of Edoras and this is my nephew…and heir Eomer."

The slight hesitation on 'heir' was not missed by the shifter-king and in his dulled eyes flashed sympathy and sorrow. "War takes much from us." Was all he said before he began walking up the stairs.

The other turned to Alissa briefly before she gestured for them to follow after the king. She took one last look about the room before following, her stomach, already growling at the prospect of a meal.

**LATER**

The effort of getting her friends up to her home was repeated at the conclusion of the meal. The fare had been simple, but hearty enough to chase away the lingering chill of battle. Legolas, she thought, didn't like it as much as she had hoped her would but she was pleased that he had tried it.

Her father was digging his claws into the tree to lower himself down as she shepherded her friends into the carrier and set the wheels going. Once they were safely on the ground, she began descending herself.

Once she had dropped lightly down from a safe enough distance on the ground, she looped her arm with Legolas' and gestured for the rest of the company to follow her to the circle. The circle was the heart of her village and was currently set up to celebrate the conclusion of the war and, Alissa privately thought, to celebrate the shifters rejoining the world.

Music was already flooding the clearing: the rhythm a powerful tattoo that reverberated within their very bones. The company was meet with the flickering of fires at various locations, the swirling of silk reminding them of fluttering butterflies…. the warmth of gently perfumed, sweaty bodies bending supple limbs and kicking out strong legs. Children, the ones that weren't already asleep in the corners, were darting about the area, eyes wide with overtiredness, but clearly intrigued by the colors and sounds just as the foreigners were.

Alissa couldn't help but smile when Gin trotted over and gave an elaborate, exaggerated bow. He made an effort to smile at the others and greeted them by raising a hand and saying. "Hello. I not speak Westron, but friends make effort for friends." He smiled again when they gave their own greetings that Alissa translated for him when his eyes furrowed in confusion. "Come, eat, move about and sing our songs!" he grabbed Alissa by the hand and she laughed out loud as she was enthusiastically tugged into the fray.

Her body remembered the rhythms with an ease that put her in mind of Boromir's fighting drills. Her heart panged but she pushed it to the back of her mind when a male spun her about the clearing. She leapt in the air in time with everyone else, twirled towards the fire, bent her body, stepped, spun again, all in rapid succession till she felt her feet beginning to smear with muck from the ground, the debris clinging to her damp skin.

Her fur begun to shift under her skin, which caught on, the silk draped around her neck. She was tugged in an unknown direction and she growled irritably until the unknown male released her and moved on. Closer inspection revealed it to be one of the guards, his name she didn't know. The silk gave her an idea though as she spied Legolas sitting with Théoden in the corner. She grabbed an abandoned one perched on a random barrel as she passed. She stalked over to the elf and wrapped the sash gently around his neck. She tugged him till he stood, much more gently than the other male had done to her. When he saw where she was leading him he shook his head and waved his hands gently. "No, Alissa, I can't dance out there."

She frowned at that, pouting slightly. "Why?"

"Because all those people out there are shifters." He pulled his neck free from the silk, which fell with her hand to hang limply at her side.

She felt as though she'd been slapped. "So," she began slowly, trying to keep the hurt from her voice, "you won't dance with a shifter." She began to back away slowly, her good mood gone to be replaced by a dark brooding quiet that disturbed her.

Legolas' face filled with horror and he grabbed her arm before she could turn away. "No Alissa, that's not what I meant…. I just…urgh, why is everything so difficult with you?"

"I only asked you to dance Legolas." Her voice came out low and she felt that darkness bubbling about in her gut but she forced a smile on her face "Don't worry yourself, I shall find another…."

She was cut off by her senses suddenly becoming engulfed in his rather exotic scent. Her nose pressed into his neck and she instinctively nuzzled in closer. "I only meant that I would make the rest of your people uncomfortable." His breath warmed her ear causing her to squirm slightly since it tickled. "I'm sorry you took offence but…." His eyes glinted with a warm humor, " I am wondering when you are going to get over this little self-esteem problem and accept that I genuinely want to spend time with you?"

Alissa laughed a little, the dark shadow that had fallen over her face disappearing as though it had been a mere trick of the light. She pulled back and gripped his shoulders firmly to better look at his face, happiness dripping from her emerald eyes. "And you, my sweet elf enjoy forgetting that here…" she gestured about with the scarf still clutched in hand. She eyed it and with mischief and whipped it around his neck to tug him down to her level, "You forget that I am princess here, my word is law. On my travels, I have discovered that not all elves are as snobby, stinky, arrogant, sarcastic…."

"Alissa I'm not sure where you're going….."

"…Traitorous, thick-headed and undeniably selfish like my father wishes for our kind to believe."

Legolas gave her a hesitant smirk, "Thank you…. I think."

"But I don't care what my father thinks." She flicked his nose and made a grab for the silk sash that had slipped down. "And my people have to get used to you and that means…..?" she ended on a question.

He sighed, "That I'm going to have to dance whether I want to or not." He bought his hands up to caress hers on the side of his face. He smiled and moved forward till the sash was loose. "But I warn you, I've been watching you dance and I know I'll be unable to move the way you do."

She giggled a little and began leading him to the dancing circle. "The brave Legolas can surf on a shield to save the day but for all his elvish grace, cannot bend like a reed or step in time to our music…." She shook her head and began to move slowly about the circle, ignoring the way some of her kind shot them annoyed looks. "You're not meant to dance like me anyway, you're male." When Legolas looked about to back out she tightened the sash till her nose was brushing his. "Its just us alright…no one else."

She grabbed his hand and made him grab one end of the sash while she retained her hold on the other. She moved slowly so he could copy her and he soon got the hang of it. There were a few missteps, which turned the dance into a sort of game. Other couples soon caught on when the pace abruptly began to quicken, the beat of the music pounding faster in order to keep up with the elf and their princess. The people about them grinned like loons when they saw the sheer elation on their normally somber princess' features and forgot their animosity towards this elf.

Maris looked on with, nuzzling her two small cubs in one arm and sipped a cup of drink in the other. The dwarf, of which Maris had been looking forward to 'interrogating' came to stand next to her, his hands on his hips, a frown marring his chiseled features. She looked down her nose at him as a look of sadness spread from his eyes to the set of his mouth. Mindful of her sleeping babies, she signaled over Gin who was busy trying to woo a female. He shot her a look but respectfully came over anyway. He brightened immensely when he saw the dwarf since it was an excuse to practice more Westron.

Mindful of her sleeping babies, Maris kept her voice level and kept her eyes fixed on the dwarves as she spoke while Gin translated as best he could. There was not much Gimli misunderstood regarding the entirety of the conversation but they had a harder time understanding his voice, as most of its nuances were lost in his beard.

"_You are not happy that they are together dwarf?_" Maris was never one to 'beat around the bush' as the humans said, "_is there jealousy mixed in with the sadness? Or is it just that you don't believe our kind can mingle with others?_"

"Aye Lass, I'm happy for them. But I can't help but think, a rare occurrence for me as the elf would say."

"_You have problems with your mind?_" Maris asked, confused and more than a little worried for him.

"Nay, the elf and I like to rile each other up, keeps 'im on his toes and whatnot."

Maris smiled at that and, deciding that her arm shad abruptly chosen that moment to die, placed her babies on the small pallet of dried grasses she'd made before coming to the party. The little ones giggled and snorted in their sleep and she was filled with protective pride over them. She sat down cross-legged, ignoring the amusing fact that doing so made her shorter than him. "_You are friends…. proof that it is possible for species to mingle."_

"I suppose yer right but don' take this the wrong way, but Shifters aren't like the other races."

"_In what way?_" Maris asked with genuine curiosity, pausing for Gin to finish his translation even as he growled, "_All the races I've read about have five fingers on each hand and five toes on each foot. We have four limbs in total and a mind with the ability to think. I personally don't see why we can't be like the others."_

"Yer right but wrong Lady Maris. Before meetin' Alissa, I was one of many who thought shifters extinct but I was lucky enough to know people who had either met them personally in the ol' days or had books that perked my interest." He watched as Legolas twirled Alissa playfully around the clearing, briefly contemplated rescuing the lass from a definite dizzy spell but dismissed it when she swung back to nestle her head on his shoulder, they moved slower in response to the music. "And I've come to me own conclusions and all I can say is this: Shifters are an extremely old race, an old culture with its own customs that are so far from most of Middle Earths that they could rival the distances between the stars and the sea. Elves aren't much better and are as arrogant as Shifters seem to be prideful."

"_I won't deny that many of us have hard heads."_ Maris let out a gentle rumble of laughter even as she pondered his words. One of her babies snuffled and coughed his twin awake and she was quick to snatch him up to cuddle him again. "_And I know little to nothing about the outside, being as I was extremely young when Yor fell. But culture has nothing to do with love. They are in love master dwarf, they may not completely know it, by the gods Alissa will most likely take another 50 years to warm up to that concept and the elf seems to be as smart as a bull in heat, too focused on her pretty eyes to pay attention to time and moving forward, but it _could _work. A union between the two peoples would be beneficial to both."_

"So ye and yours see it as a political match? Fair enough, they are both royalty and its none of my business but they have power in realms many miles in travel away from one another. Both with stubborn mules for fathers who rival us dwarves in holding a grudge and a tenacity to annoy other races by merely breathing."

Maris let out a low growl. _"Careful dwarf, our king is kind and good. He does what he thinks is best, especially if it concerns his daughter. He would literally die if he lost her young master, she was the only thing that kept him alive when his wife died._"

"Ye'd think he'd be a bit mo'e friendly to the elf then, seeing as 'e makes his daughter happy."

"_If it was your daughter, would you be so kind?"_

Gimli let out a great bark of laughter that startled Gin enough that he spilled his drink in surprise. He let out a small smile but said nothing, clearly intrigued enough to not add his own input until Maris had finished.

"Dwarrow women are rare enough to be spoiled and doted on like the precious treasures they are. I'd rip any lads balls off and feed them to dragon before he got anywhere near my girl."

"…But, " he continued almost to himself, "I'd make an effort for her, if it was a choice between having her happy or caged…. I think I could and would let her go."

"_You have children Master dwarf?"_

"Nay but I have a lil' sister who my ma' and da le' me spoil."

Maris smiled. _"Love comes in all forms, she is lucky to have you for a sibling, I can only hope for such devotion to grow between my younglings. You could argue that same reasoning however for Alissa and Legolas. I like him and I will adapt to the change he and our princess bring to us all, as all our people will."_

"Interesting theory my lady, however it seems as if you are not factoring in Legolas and Alissa's own little hang ups."

She shot him a knowing smile. "_That may be but we are the people of change: we adapt or we die."_

"A law of nature." Gimli raised his empty mug to his slightly hazy eyes. "I am happy for 'em, but I'd feel happier if I had mo'e of that drink."

Gin shot Maris a look, the dwarf was slightly drunk and they both wondered at the wisdom of letting him totter off in the direction of the barrels.

Gandalf also watched the couple, smoking his pipe, as he conversed with Alistair. He blew a smoke ring into the shifters face so that he coughed and sneezed and waved it away, but it was enough to stop his rambling about how Legolas was not good enough for his cub and that he should have gutted him when he had the chance…blah blah blah. Gandalf hadn't lived several lifetimes of men to listen to such utter nonsense. To be honest there were worst specimens of the male inclination that Alissa could've picked. Like an orc or a spider even. But as he understood it Alissa was terrified of spiders so that wouldn't have happened anyway.

Alistair shot him an annoyed look reminiscent of his daughters, but harsher and more feral looking than Alissa could ever hope to be. "What?" he growled.

Gandalf just gestured with the tip of his pipe briefly, the smoke sending a trail towards where he knew the BloodRipper would pick up their mingled scents, before returning it to his mouth, inhaling. Before the old cat could even begin to spew forth more litanies and stand up from his chair to stop the…how did he put it? 'Abomination'…. yes, Gandalf whacked him on the head with his staff. Alistair grabbed his head but paused since there was clearly something Gandalf wanted to say.

"When I look over there I see something similar to the day you mated to Queen Freya."

The cat visibly bristled. "My wife has nothing to do with this conversation."

His tone brooked no argument and Gandalf sighed, ignoring the headache beginning to pound at his temples.

"I wasn't talking about your wife, although she does factor in slightly BloodRipper. I was remarking on how much Alissa looks like you once did. A fire dances in her eyes and she looks happier than a cat with fern-flowers."

A hazy look crossed the kings face "I do like fern-flowers." Gandalf snapped his fingers in front of his face and he startled.

"Stop, daughter, close mouth, listen. I am trying to impart words of wisdom to you and you are making it exceedingly difficult." Gandalf said irritably, settling back in his chair when the king nodded sheepishly.

"I am sorry." Alistair apologized, though it sounded as if it were forced from him, "I am lost, the elf…. he represents everything I loathe, how can I accept him? How can I let my Alissa make a mistake? I can't let her become like me Gandalf, I just can't."

"And there's your problem right there." Gandalf gestured with his staff even though he knew Alistair couldn't see it. "Alissa has to make her own mistakes, and whose to say Legolas is one? You haven't been out of the forest for nearly four hundred years my old friend, times have changed. Not to mention….' He hesitated a little before continuing, "I can see her down there and I can't even know where to begin in describing the scene to you. Elves are normally graceful but Legolas is putting his pride aside to make her smile and…." Gandalf smiled as he isolated the sounds so that Alistair could better hear Alissa's rich peal of laughter, "can't you hear her laugh? So young, so free. Free to make her own choices, which _will _be different to yours. She is different so you have no fear of her becoming too much like you my friend; you have Freya to thank for that. Thank the Valar."

Alistair's face cleared. He smiled, and gently pushed the wizard in his shoulder. "I forgot how easy you make the worlds problems seem, it's a refreshing change."

"Breathe the free air I was told." Théodens voice came as a surprise but a welcome one since Alistair now didn't have to hunt him down to talk about the real reason they were here, war.

**Yo!**

**How is everyone's week…no month been? Dreadfully sorry about the terrible wait but I went home for the semester break and my parents decided to upgrade the internet…..which basically translates to *****cough***** screwed it up *****cough*, love them dearly but I really wish they'd wait for me to make the hard decisions…..amusing but not at the same time.**

**So as a result I had lots of extra time to give you this little beauty, over 9 pages of little fillers before we **_**actually**_** move on to the Return of the King. Oh its beautiful how far this story has come, you know it all started from a song? And a song without lyrics at that? Gosh I'm amazed at my own brain sometimes.**

**Anyhoo, a minor note, Readers of my other story 'Sovia' might be interested in the fact that I am making a sequel: haven't decided if it's a one-shot or full story yet but I have begun drafting. Sovia, unfortunately has yet to be edited so anyone who hasn't read it who wants to….forgive me, I had been suffering from a mal-functioning spellchecker AND a wireless keyboard that stopped halfway through my sentence and I hadn't FREAKIN' noticed. It was almost painful to read the other day but my brain was like 'yip, this is too hard, lets watch LOTR!' It will be done though, eventually, possibly, maybe, most definitely.**

**Anyhoo, I hoped you enjoyed the chapter because it was the only thing that kept me sane without internet and being home. :D**

**Psssst! Don't forget to leave a review before you give that big button a little smackarooo!**


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